When Earth Meets Dust
by LoftiestMilk0
Summary: The Old World has many secrets buried underneath the surface of the wasteland. Some people think it should stay that way. Others think unearthing them will help them rebuild. What they don't know, is that if you look carefully, you may be able to find something entirely different...
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own or have licensed ****_Fallout_**** or ****_RWBY_****.**

**A/N: Hello! As you can probably tell, I am new to this site and the world of fan-fiction. I love the worlds of Fallout and RWBY so much that I wanted to try and find more things to indulge in. I then ran into this site, felt inspired by some of the stories, and loved the idea of crossovers. I then started to write this story and as I did, I really started liking the way it was coming out. I finally decided I'd publish it and share it. I have never written anything this complex before, nor have I written any fan-fiction, so please bear with me as I publish this (and familiarize myself with this site). Any and all comments are welcome and thank you for reading!**

**Kind regards,**

**Just another fan.**

* * *

_Prologue_

A man stood in silence outside of his home. His eyes were closed and his head was tilted slightly towards the sky. It was early evening and just having finished dinner; the man couldn't help but enjoy the satisfaction of the delightful meal his wife prepared him. Well, for the most part. The rational part of the man's mind reminded him that it could have been much better if he actually was allowed to finish his meal and not have been interrupted by a phone call from his coworker. He frowned as he also reminded himself that it is because of the same coworker that he is now standing outside his home, waiting to be picked up and taken to the most dreadful place on this earth: work.

_'Bastard' _he thought. _'Greg's gonna pay for this. Severely.'_

He shook the thought from his mind. Instead, he went back to enjoying the oddly warm autumn night. The wind blew lightly on his brown overcoat, as if showing its gratitude for the man's appreciation. He opened his eyes and looked at the sun as it began to set, preparing itself early for a nights rest. The man smiled. Its days like these he was glad he was alive. _'If only I could turn in myself…'_

As if on cue, the man heard the sound of a loud engine and an uncomfortable, yet familiar, heat quickly covered him. He swore he thought he saw the sun frown and the wind scurry away, frightened. He looked towards the cause and immediately sympathized, for the cause made him also very angry.

"Yoooo! Smith-ay!"

A car pulled up on the curb in front of the man, its driver smiling menacingly at him. The look didn't unnerve him, however. Instead, it made him pity the guy.

The man took a step forward towards the vehicle. "Greg", he replied, "I thought I told you –."

He stopped in his tracks, gaping at the automobile in front of him. Greg seemed pleased with his reaction, shifting his body to face the man. His grin snuck up towards his earlobes.

"She's a beauty, ain't she?"

The man's gaze shifted towards Greg in disbelief. "When did you get this?"

"Just yesterday! Dumbass selling it to me gave me the deal of the century." Greg raised his palms up towards the sky, almost as if telling God that even He could be outsmarted.

The man was surprised but in no way envious. "I thought the '78 Corvega was way above your pay grade?"

"It was until about a few hours ago!"

He frowned. He thought he would be dead before he saw this poor-excuse-of-a-human-being get a raise before he did. "So, tell me again why I couldn't finish my evening with my family and spending the rest of it with you?"

Greg shrugged. "Lucky, I guess!"

"Hardly."

Greg looked suddenly serious. He reached over and opened the passenger side door. "Shut up and get in, Hank. We have work to do."

Hank expressed his agitation with a loud sigh and, although reluctantly, complied with Greg's gesture. As much as he hated the bastard, he had to admit he can be straight forward when he wants to be.

The car slithered back onto the road, picking up some speed as they headed east towards the city. A few minutes passed in silence as the two men drove towards the towering skyline. Even at this hour, traffic was bustling lively, people paced the sidewalks ritualistically, and businesses hungrily kept their doors open for commission. When they pulled up to the first red light within the city limits, Hank finally turned to his driver.

"I don't understand. After running this thing for so damn long, we finally get a breakthrough?"

Greg looked at his passenger, almost a bit annoyingly. "Don't get me wrong Hank, I'm as surprised as you are, but at this point I'm glad we did. It means we're a step closer to ending this bullshit project." Greg's light brown eyes relaxed as another thought came to mind. "Not to mention the war."

Hank looked towards the road ahead. This is true, but he could only fear what his company might try to do next.

"And you said it was an intern?"

Greg nodded. "Fresh from high school, the bastard. I swear Hank, kids these days are just outright geniuses."

"I expected the opposite."

The driver shot him a disgusted look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Hank crossed his arms and shook his head. "Think about it, Greg. Isn't it obvious? The sudden swap to the use of nuclear energy? Not to mention its just as sudden ABUSE? I'm surprised it hasn't screwed with our biology by now."

Greg sighed. "I guess you have a point."

The light turned green. Greg crept forward and picked up some speed to keep up with traffic. Silence filled the vehicle until the duo pulled up in front of a giant building.

The two climbed out. Hank flashed his ID badge to the security guard as he walked past, heading towards the front doors. He stopped. Looking up, he took in the sight of the very building that caused the sun to frown and the wind to leave him. He felt the muscles in his forehead tense as he read the giant letters bolted into the evil gray steel: Vault-Tec.

Greg studied Hank with a certain curiosity. He knows that look, hell he's done it himself a few times. But something about the way Hank displays it on his face. It was…damn near haunting, to say the least.

"Everything okay?" He was answered with silence. "Helloo, anyone home?"

Hank looked back towards the grand double doors. Without looking at Greg, he began walking towards them.

"Let's go. I want to leave this place as soon as possible."

Hank stopped at the front counter as he usually does. He was greeted by a friendly face, one that eased him and forced him to make a sincere smile despite the place making him cringe.

"Hello Jane."

Jane kept smiling, suddenly uplifted by her boss' greeting.

"Hi Mr. Smith!"

She noticed his company, the likes of which she herself despised. Sensing her stare, Greg winked at the pretty brunette and blew a kiss her way. Jane felt her stomach churn at the sight and turned her attention to the more pleasing gentleman.

"Another unexpected shift I take it?"

Hank sighed. "It looks that way." He looked over at the man behind him. "But something tells me it may be the last."

Jane grinned. "Well that's good news. I'll prepare the usual for you." She began typing into her clunky monitor, the green screen reflecting into her tortoiseshell spectacles as it displayed the commands she entered at a rapid pace. As she was about finished, she hesitated, and redirected her attention to her handsome boss. "Shall I…prepare anything else for you Mr. Smith?"

Hank smiled. "Just call me Hank."

Jane blushed. She knew that was a yes. "Y-yes Mr.-, I mean Hank." She handed each man a key card. "I'll see you later this evening."

As Hank began striding towards a pair of steel doors, he felt Greg quicken his pace behind him.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" Greg looked stunned. Hank looked at him, smirking.

"What's wrong? Commie got your tongue?"

"More like pretty brunette!" Greg studied Hank angrily. "How long has this been going on?"

Hank shrugged. "Ever since I moved into my own office, I guess."

Hank felt satisfied as he heard the weight of Greg's jaw make a crater in the ground. At least he was amusing.

"TWO YEARS?! TWO DAMN YEARS?!" Greg began pulling at his graying hair, on the verge of ripping it out by the roots. "Do you have any idea how LONG I've been trying to get her to date me?!"

Hank grunted. "Since the day you laid eyes on her."

"SINCE THE DAY I LAID EYES ON HER!" Greg seemed to have gotten most of his frustration out by now, considering he was holding his dark pointy chin, lost in thought.

"Has Marsha found out about this?"

Hank stopped dead in his tracks. He turned towards his coworker with a cold look, so cold it sent shivers down Greg's spine. Jesus, he was scary.

"No. And that will continue to be the case." He took a step towards him. "Got it?"

Greg raised his hands in surrender. "Ok, ok. I got it, alright? Can we just get to the lab?"

Hank relaxed. He nodded, and continued his way to the steel doors. A Mr. Gutsy stood guard in front, hovering a little higher as it sensed an entity approaching.

"Atten-SHUN!" it announced. The two men stopped promptly, waiting patiently for the next automated response. "Please step forward for immediate facial-scanning-recognition-procedure-protocol-process-flow!"

Hank shook his head in disbelief. He's going to have to talk to the programmers about this one. Again.

The two humans did as instructed. Promptly, the bucket of bolts began its routine, humming and beeping as its multiple arms swayed lively, its middle eye unfolding outwards towards it target. Hank noticed a small amount of rust surrounding the sensor and also noticed the same on its arm that carried a large saw blade.

"Hank Smith! Lead Scientist of the Nuclear Department!"

"Greggory Simms! Nuclear Mechanism Specialist!"

The Mr. Gutsy hovered out of the two men's way. "Welcome SIRS! Please present your key cards at the end of this hall! And PLEASE have a pleasant evening at Vault Tec!"

Hank sighed again. He wasn't making any promises.

The great silver doors slid open, revealing a large open hallway. It was empty except for another door at the end and a glass window on the left. The two moved down the hall, taking note that the blast shields were engaged and covered the window in its entirety. _'Strange'_**, **Hank thought, _'Those aren't usually necessary. Whatever that kid discovered must be dangerous.'_

Hank couldn't help but being a little excited. He scowled at the emotion, seeing that it was the damned reason he got this job in the first place.

They stopped in front of the final pair of doors. In a heartbeat, a slot opened on the right hand side, glowing green to indicate it has entered stand-by mode. Hank inserted his key card, and a moment later, Greg followed suit. Satisfied, the machine glowed blue, and the doors slid open, revealing a grand chamber inside.

Scientists littered the place like mice in a shoebox, all scurrying around each other in a quickened speed. Hank's eyes widened at the scene. This place hasn't been this full since…well, since before the war started. He stepped inside, his mind already bringing up the layout of the large room. To his left, he could see the break area, the very place he spent most of his early career in. He noticed it was empty, probably for the same reason the room was filled to the brim with egg heads. He looked to his right and saw the various testing rooms he was never quite fond of. In front of him he could see the large pentagonal elevator, one that he actually didn't mind using. He still found it fascinating that there exists an elevator that can travel at incredibly high speeds, not to mention that it can also move sideways. A necessity considering the layout of the building, but unfortunately the pair will be traveling in a direction that reminded Hank's face to bring back a scowl: straight down.

Hank and Greg stepped into the elevator, turning to face the direction they came in. Greg typed a command into the prompt. One hundred and twenty five. The very last floor. When they stepped out of the elevator, about a half a minute later, they had traveled hundreds of feet into the ground. The room they stepped into was littered with monitors and computers, all being clawed away at by eager scientists. The floor was littered with crumpled paper, the walls whirred and hummed with reels of tape and hard drives, and even the ceiling had cameras dancing in different directions. Hank walked further in the room, making his way into its heart. He expected to see the device they were working on, one that would help lighten their dependency on fossil fuels and make nuclear energy more efficient. Instead, what greeted him was something far more sinister looking than his creation.

"Greg…" He found him looking at a monitor, studying the different equations it displayed.

"I know." He walked over to him. It was now that Hank noticed his curly brown hair was rustled, as if he got out of bed just a minute ago. Greg's brow wrinkled as he stepped towards his supervisor. "Braun's team was here this morning."

Hank cringed at the sound of the name. "Braun?! What the hell was he doing here?!"

"According to him, and I quote, 'making minor improvements'."

Hank turned his attention to the instrument. It wasn't at all the mini reactor he had left behind just the day before. Instead, in its place was what looked like half of an oval, made out of Vault Tec's signature evil looking metal. What was strange to him was that it looked…incomplete. Even to Braun's standards. It was about seven feet tall, and only the left half of what looked like the frame of an egg was there. Cables frayed from its base like roots of a rotten tree, all connecting to the machines that were designed for his original creation.

_'My ass.'_

He looked back at his coworker. He had an accusing look in his eyes that made Greg shiver. "You knew about this?"

Greg gulped loudly. "Yes, I did. But they made me keep my mouth shut until you arrived tonight. It was supposed to be…a surprise?"

Hank scowled. "Bullshit. Braun's just an asshole." He looked at the machine. "This doesn't make sense. If he needs my machine to power his, then why did he take it out?"

"Well, it's not the machine. It's the technique. The breakthrough." Hank ran his fingers through his black hair.

_'Years of research and hard work. All thrown into the garbage bin just because the bigger kid wanted the smaller puzzle piece in the center of it.'_

Hank noticed a small young man at the center monitor in front of the mysterious arc. He walked towards him, hearing his confused mumbles and grumbles as he tried to find something hidden within the green letters. Greg was a step behind him. "That's him."

Hank looked over his shoulder. "THAT scrawny bastard?"

Greg nodded. Hank was disappointed, to say the least. He tapped the young man on the shoulder.

Hank had seen a lot of strange things in his life, but this one just might take the cake. The young man jumped at least six feet in the air, completely caught off guard. A handful of Fancy Lad's Snack Cakes jumped out of his pockets and rained like a blessing from the fat gods onto the unsuspecting scientists. After knocking everything on the desk over, he turned to meet the man behind him. Hank couldn't help but stagger backwards.

"W-w-hat?! O-oh.." The scrawny red haired kid pushed his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose. He noticed Hank's badge on his left breast. "S-sorry sir. Eric Goldstein."

Hank gave the tiny blonde a strange look. "Hank Smith."

The pale kid looked astonished. "D-Dr. Smith! A p-pleasure sir! It's an honor!"

He held out a hand, which Hank shook quite strongly. Eric winced. A smirk crept its way onto Hanks face.

"I don't mean to interrupt, gentlemen, but we have work to do." A middle aged woman had walked up to the two men, holding out lab coats for the each of them. "And the two of you should know better than to walk in here without proper attire. Damn it, Goldstein! Clean this shit up!"

As the two men accepted their coats, Eric scrambled to pick up his junk food. "Y-yes Ma'am!"

Greg grinned at the lady. "Why thank you Ms. Terry." He gave her an exaggerated wink. "I really-".

The woman already started walking away. This made him angry.

"Damn it! I hate it when they do that."

"Can't say I blame 'em, lady killer." Hank smirked, shaking of his brown coat and replacing it with the one he was handed. He turned to Eric, a serious look on his face. "Fill me in, kid. What the hell happened to my project?"

Eric flinched at the sudden change in tone, but responded in kind. Pushing his rounded glasses back in place again, he looked at his clip board and began his debriefing.

Hank didn't like what he heard. So far, Dr. Braun had received word that this little runt discovered a way to channel the small amount of nuclear energy his machine made and multiply it without the dangerous side effects. He brought his team to his facility, HIS facility, and replaced his machine with some sort of device that would allow them to travel to an adjacent country. What made him angrier was that all of this happened practically overnight.

"So what you're telling me is that your little discovery has enough power to activate a damn portal?"

Eric snickered. "Pretty much. Please keep in mind that this is just a theory. That theory tells us that this multiplication process allows us to harness enough energy to power the entire planet for ten years, all in the matter of seconds, and without the dangerous side effects of highly concentrated radiation." He looked at Hank, grinning at his own genius. "What do you think sir?"

"I think you just destroyed the damn world."

Eric winced at his unexpected reaction. "W-what do you mean?"

Hank sighed. "Don't worry about it. When do we begin?"

Greg was ready to answer. "In about fifteen seconds."

Eric began writing in his clip board. "Right….um, what's todays date?"

Hank looked at his watch. "The twenty third."

Eric scribbled quickly, almost as if in fear of forgetting the date. He hesitated.

"Of October."

He wrote this down in relief.

Hank shot Greg an angry look. "Where'd you get this guy?"

Greg shrugged, turning his attention back to his monitor. "Let's get this show on the road. Everyone, take your positions."

All the egg heads in the chamber complied. Hank simply stayed where he was, considering he practically didn't have anything to do with this. He watched as the frame began to make a humming sound. The strange shape began to glow a bright yellow, and it actually began to move. Slowly, the half oval shape began to revolve in a counter-clockwise motion, picking up speed as it began to glow brighter. It was…strangely beautiful.

"Lock down the facility and seal the doors. We're gonna need some privacy!" Hank was not at all amused at Greg's little comment, but he could hear him snickering to himself. Jackass. He heard all the doors shut behind him, and the familiar clicking sound of the lock mechanism activating throughout the concrete room. The chamber glowed with the familiar warmth of the nuclear-powered device. The frame turned into a bright egg shaped mass.

"We don't have enough power. Goldstein?"

Eric typed a command. "Increasing power interval by twenty five percent."

The egg glowed brighter, but the greedy scientists were not satisfied.

"Fifty percent!"

There was a moment of hesitation in the chamber. Everyone stopped, looking up at the ceiling. Hank looked up too, dead silent. What was that sound? Did the machine make it? No, it couldn't have been. That was the sound of something distinct, the sound of every human beings nightmare. That was the sound of…

Sirens.

Everyone looked towards Hank in disbelief. He was confused, frightened. There was no way, it had to be something else. The egg in the center of the room hummed impatiently, annoyed that it was being neglected.

Then, all hell broke loose.

The scientists stampeded towards the exit, all yelling and trying to get out. They were shouting, screaming, pushing each other out of the way, trying to reach the elevator and join their families on the surface. Hank looked at them in disbelief, fear, and disappointment. There truly was no way out, not with the lock down protocols in place. He was astonished at their stupidity. Do they not realize how safe they are this deep underground?

Behind the large scared crowd, a loud hissing could be heard growing louder and louder. Hank looked over at the egg. It was spinning angrily, trying to get the attention of its creators. It began to rock violently like a spinning top that was left unattended. _'Well, maybe not so safe after all.'_

Eric felt Hank's concern and sprinted back to his station. Greg turned to face the crow to try and calm them down.

"Everyone! We can't just leave this device unattended! It will lose control should we neglect it!"

No one listened. They were all trying to get out. The air raid sirens grew louder and louder, almost as if they were attached to the danger that was on its way. Realizing his attempt was futile, he joined the only two sane people in trying to keep the death top under control.

"I can't turn the power down! It's locked at an increasing rate of power injection! I can't stop it!" Eric was typing furiously into his keyboard, trying to prove himself wrong, only to be met with a painful truth.

"She's gonna blow!"

Before the others could react, an explosion of yellow energy emitted from the top, followed by a blinding flash. Hank was propelled backwards towards the crowd, which had been crushed against the silver doors.

Hank lay on his back. He couldn't hear the sirens anymore. Instead, they were replaced with a loud ringing and he could feel a warm thick liquid drooping out of his ears. He tilted his head to his right. He saw Eric's mangled corpse, his cold eyes looking right into his as if screaming for help. His frames remained on his nose, and Hank realized that the glass in his spectacles had shattered from the explosion and the shards had lodged themselves into his sockets.

Hank felt the fear climb through his soul, taking over every inch of his being. He tried to stand, but realized he had no control over his body anymore. He felt the chamber shake violently, and a huge impact sent him flying through the chamber, landing him on the opposite side. He saw bodies flying everywhere. Every single person was dead. Even Greg, the damn snake of his department, was lying on top of one of the massive hard drives, his spine snapped in two.

He looked at where the top used to be. That was when he noticed it had stopped spinning, that the frame had disappeared and was replaced by…what looked like a painting. A painting of the most beautiful scene he has ever witnessed. He swore he felt the wind return on his skin, and the sun had returned to smile on him once again. Both joined by what looked like a forest, with leaves as red as the blood that covered the room, its bright green grass holding on to the fallen leaves as if it were afraid to let go. More leaves were falling from the endless amount of trees, one even found its way onto Hanks chest. The lively painting began to fade, just as Hank began to realize that he was losing his senses in his body. He couldn't fight the feeling of himself slipping away. He looked at the leaf that had landed on him, and finally relaxed his head on the cold concrete floor, closing his eyes and letting out one final smile.

_'So that's what heaven looks like.'_


	2. Chapter 1: Purity

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews and feedback! I'm really excited to share the rest of this story and see what you guys think. I just wanted to say I will be updating at least once a week and sometimes I will update more often than that. As far as the questions I received from the prologue, I am planning on answering those as I update. Though I will say the RWBY universe is not set in the future. If you guys have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don't hesitate to shoot me a message. Thanks so much for the inspiration and please feel free to leave some comments. Without further ado, here is chapter 1!**

**Kind regards,**

**Just another fan.**

* * *

_Chapter 1: Purity_

_Revelation 21:6_

_I am Alpha and Omega._

_The beginning, and the end._

_I will give unto him who is athirst_

_the fountain of the water of life_

_freely._

The words repeated themselves in his mind. They did on their own accord, as if they themselves couldn't believe that the one person who finally got it right was gone. Even the metal slab that they were engraved in shined in response to the hot summer sunshine, chanting along with the words in his ears. Tears flowed from his eyes, trying desperately to escape the insanity that was going on in his head. Yet he just stood dead silent in front of the tombstone, allowing for the chaos to happen. Why is this happening? Was there another way? There had to have been. His brain replayed the instance over and over, trying to figure out just what could have been done. Nothing. After all this time and all he could come up with was…nothing.

It was another scorching hot day. He felt the rays of the furious afternoon sun burn the back of his neck, heating the leather of his jumpsuit. His throat began to dry and he could feel his energy slowly simmer away from the repeated brutality of the natural source of light. He could feel his stomach using up the last of his earlier meal and felt it begin to prepare to growl. He wondered why these things were adding on to the rest of the chaos. Didn't his stomach understand why his mind was cluttered? Why won't the sun give him peace for at least a while longer while he tried to figure this out? He sighed. Maybe it's because his stomach had lost its patience with its owner from being fed rotting substances and dirty water. Maybe the sun was sick and tired of the bullshit mankind has puts its fellow star through. Whatever the case may be, all he could do was nothing. All he could do was watch.

He felt someone approach him. Hell, he could practically feel the person through the ground as it shook from the weight of the massive metal armor. He felt them stop just a few feet away. Silence ensued as they waited for the young man to acknowledge their presence. He did no such thing.

"Mr. Ramirez?"

Again, silence. The young man stayed put, as if the person's mechanical voice was just another careless fixture in his atmosphere.

"Mr. Ramirez? Elder Lyons wishes to speak with you, sir."

The young man continued the silence for a while longer before replying.

"I'll be there."

His deep voice boomed off the hot metal and into the air, making it much louder and much more menacing than it already sounded. He didn't move, waiting for the large paladin to do so first. The paladin sighed. He removed his helmet with a loud _click_, tucked it under his arm, and readdressed the young man.

"Your father was a wise man."

The young man slowly looked up, eyes puffed red from the steady flow of tears. This was the only feature that suggested his current emotion, for his strong chin and lip remained motionless. He wiped his eyes with his hand, waiting patiently for the man to continue. He noticed that the paladin was older, at least in his fifties. His graying hair and over grown mustache suggested that he has seen a lot in his career, and that he's still ready for more.

"When Project Purity was still new, I was with one of the first teams to protect the memorial. I was able to have a conversation with him. The man had a powerful presence about him, a presence you simply couldn't say 'no' to. He was driven. Determined. Proud." He smiled at the young man. "Heaven has gained a powerful ally. You should be proud to be called his son."

"Thank you."

The paladin replaced his helmet. He turned sharply on his heel, and began his return to his base.

The young man returned his attention to the makeshift marker. It wasn't very sturdy. It was made from scrap metal and pieces of the scavenged vertibirds from the recent battle. Then again, out here in this hell hole only very few people ever even got recognition for their existence, let alone their deaths. The Brotherhood of Steel made sure that the grave was well marked. They made sure to announce to the word that they didn't just lose a person that had changed the world.

They announced that the world had lost a legend.

The young man reread the engraving of the tombstone. This time, he the rest of it.

_James Ramirez_

_2226-2277_

_Loving Father and Husband_

_May the Heavens Reward Him for His Sacrifice_

The last sentence slipped through his lips unintentionally. He looked up in front of him. He could hear the slow humming of the purifier from the memorial directly behind the grave of his father. He decided that he should head straight for the Citadel. He planned to walk, and walking would take considerably longer. He turned away from the tombstone and began to follow the old paladin's trail. He stopped, and looked back one last time.

"Bye Dad. I'll be back tomorrow."

What he didn't realize was that his whole life was about to change.

The sun was finally cooling down and had begun to set when he finally reached the entrance to the Citadel. He had taken his time and had stopped to give a poor waste lander a bottle of purified water. His little hesitation cost him more than just inconvenience, for the waste lander had pulled out a rusty combat knife and tried to stab the young man in the back as he was leaving. After a short struggle, the young man disarmed him, and let the rotting bag of bones run away in surrender.

He walked up to Paladin Bael, who nodded towards him and lowered his mini gun.

"Hail. Welcome back, kid. Go on in, Elder Lyons is waiting for you in the Solar."

The giant semi-demolished door began to rise loudly. Ducking under the still rising door, the young man walked down the destroyed hall of the building and entered the courtyard.

The courtyard was starting to grow quiet at this time. Usually the drill instructors would have the trainees run their obstacle courses and fire their weapons at the shooting range long into the night, but after a long battle with the merciless Enclave, everyone had deserved the rest. Besides, it was for the same battle that the Brotherhood barely even had any trainees left at all, not to mention skilled paladins to train them.

The Lone Wanderer walked around the perimeter of the courtyard. He noticed some of the soldiers had stopped what they were doing and turned to acknowledge him. The youngest among them stopped and gave him a crisp salute that any higher ranking officer would've envied, while some of the older paladins and knights simply nodded in respect.

He returned the kind gestures with a slight nod of his own, not allowing his pace to be slowed down. He reached the center doors and entered into the A ring, weaving his way around the corridors as if it were second nature. He was walking by the medical wing when he heard a loud bark that made him smile.

When he turned around, a dark gray dog was limping towards him, tail wagging furiously and panting happily at the sight of his master. The young man swooped down and happily caressed the warm fur of his best companion.

"Hi Dogmeat! How you feeling buddy?"

Dogmeat barked happily in response, licking his master's dried tears away. His master happily scratched his ear in return.

A woman in scribe robes walked up to him. "He's hard to keep still, you know? And he's always ripping off his damn bandages." The young man paused, looking up at the annoyed scribe. He inspected Dogmeat's front leg. The wound was wrapped in fresh bandages and was also covered in saliva. He looked at his pup and grinned.

"You know you should be more careful with that, right?" Dogmeat whimpered in response, telling his master that it was difficult to fight the urge. His master snickered. "Well, be good okay? And if this nice lady tries to hurt you…" He leaned towards his pup and pressed his forehead against his, locking his black eyes into the pup's blue and brown. "…you make sure to remind her of what you're capable of. Okay buddy?"

Dogmeat growled happily at his master's condition, knowing perfectly what he meant by it. The scribe shuttered fearfully at the sound of the conversation between the two. It's like they were two people that have known each other for lifetimes. How is that even possible?

Giving his best friend a final pat on the head, the young man stood back up and continued the final few steps to the Solar. When he stepped inside, he noticed the old man was sitting in one of the couches, reading an old book. He poked his head inside, tapping the door lightly with his knuckle. The elder looked up from his pre-war book and smiled at the tall figure that waited patiently for his permission.

"Ah, Ken. Please come in. It's good to see you made it here safely."

Ken walked in, closing the door behind him. He sat down on top of a large crate of _Aqua Pura_, pulling out a bottle for himself and tossed one to the old man. Lyons caught it without a flinch and opened the bottle.

"Old Man Lyons. Good to see your reflexes have yet to fail you."

Lyons grinned at the compliment. "Well, they grow their inspiration from watching the youthful wonders that will become our next generation."

There was a pause between the two souls as they took a long swig from their bottles. They both allowed their eyes to be closed in thanks to the longer life they were just given. Ken finished his and set the empty bottle aside, waiting patiently for the old man himself to finish. When they finally made eye contact again, Ken sensed the seriousness in the old man's stare.

"I take it I'm not just here to make small talk?"

The Brotherhood Elder sighed. "It is always a pleasure to be in your presence, Kenneth. However, there is a matter that needs attending." He paused for a moment, letting the young man prepare himself for what he's about to say. Before he had the chance to speak again, Ken interrupted the silence.

"How's Sarah?"

The Elder took a moment before he replied. "Still unconscious, however she is recovering. Her wounds have begun to heal and she should be up and about soon, I hope." The Elder smiled. "Thank you for your concern. However, like I said, there is something very important I need to tell you."

"In that case, speak your mind. What do you need from me?"

The old man sighed at the young man's response. Just like his father.

"There is something that I need finding. It is of the upmost importance to the Brotherhood and seeing how I am understaffed right now, I have little choice but to reach out to you." He looked at Ken. He had that same expression he usually had when speaking to the Elder about a mission. His left eyebrow was slightly cocked and his arms crossed in front of his chest. A habit he had developed throughout the wasteland that was designed to unnerve the person with the proposition and forcing them to eventually tell the truth. The Elder didn't hesitate, as he was planning on giving him the entire truth from the start.

"It is a device that was created in the Old World, and we believe that it can actually be used as a weapon."

Ken's face tightened with annoyance. "_Great'_ he thought, _'another damn weapon.'_

Lyons understood Ken's frustration. He truly appreciated the young man's loyalty to the Brotherhood and its members, but he knew that he still didn't truly trust their motives. They did, in fact, abandon Project Purity in its infancy and in a way affected the young man's life growing up. Why should he have to repay them by arming them with weapons that, if not kept in check, could potentially take many innocent lives?

The Elder continued. "I understand that this is an incredibly dangerous task that yields very little assurance to you and your reputation. Also, seeing that you were nearly killed by the irradiated chamber of the purifier, your body may not be fully healed yet. That is why, as always, you have the option to decline, seeing that you are not officially in obligation to the Brotherhood of Steel." He looked at Ken expectantly, waiting for a response.

"How solid is the Intel?"

"Solid. The Lyon's Pride unearthed a few holotapes from the remains of Raven Rock and pin pointed the location on the map in the lab. Besides it being fueled by the power of the atom, we are not exactly sure what it is capable of."

Ken had faith in the old man and knew he only meant well. It was just too risky, considering that the Citadel was notably less fortified now due to its lacking number of inhabitants. Then again, there were still groups of Enclave soldiers scattered throughout the Capital Wasteland, and should they regroup and begin to search for this weapon…

Ken looked at the old man and grinned. "I'll do it. As long as I can bring Fawkes."

Elder Lyons sighed in relief. "Of course, Ken. Please feel free to access whatever resources you need for your journey as a small token of my appreciation."

Ken stood up, the old man repeating the motion. "That's very kind Elder, but I won't take much. I prefer to travel light anyways and I'm sure you'll need whatever you can get your hands on." He turned to leave the room. The Elder stopped him.

"Ken?" He turned and looked at the old man. "Your father would have been proud."

Ken nodded, and proceeded to leave for his new mission.


	3. Chapter 2: Preparations

**A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to apologize in advance for the very short chapter. I already have most of this written and I didn't realize how inconsistent my chapter sizes were. :/ So, chapter 3 is probably my longest chapter yet and to make up for today's ridiculously short chapter, I will publish chapter 3 today too! I hope it's not too overwhelming. Thanks again everyone for the support and don't forget to follow and favorite (if I deserve it, that is!). Thanks again everyone and I hope you enjoy!**

**Kind regards,**

**Just another fan.**

_Chapter 2: Preparation_

Ken walked through the halls of the Citadel. It wasn't very crowded, most of the Brotherhood were either sleeping or on patrols. Ken couldn't help but notice that most of the scribes and paladins were walking around with a fearful look in their eyes. Ken took a second to try and figure out why that may be before entering the lab.

The cradle that once housed Liberty Prime was empty and dormant. Behind it, a loud growling and banging of heavy steel against the grated floor could be heard, shaking the lab in a consistent rumble. Two younger initiates ran away from the sound in fear, screaming loudly as they ran past a confused looking knight. Ken reacted by placing his hand on the hilt of his weapon. But what he heard next made him relax and put a smile to his face, while anyone else would have trembled in fear.

"Damn meddling kids! Stay out of my way!"

Ken walked behind where the giant robot used to stand and looked in the direction of the booming voice. He found a hulking figure that stood at about seven feet tall, although it was currently standing up straight in anger, making it closer to ten feet. Ken had come up behind him, and he noticed that the old, blue colored leather had ripped slightly more in response of the sudden height. Ken cautiously called out to it, careful not to agitate it anymore.

"Calm down Fawkes. I'm sure they were just trying to help."

Fawkes grunted questioningly and turned to face the calm voice emitting behind him. What could be seen as the Super Mutant equivalent of a smile carved itself on his yellowish-green face.

"MY FRIEND! It is great to see you!" Fawkes stepped towards his liberator. "I apologize for my sudden temper. It is just that these CHILDREN seem to make games and amusement out of my work here!"

Ken looked around. What looked like large pieces of metal covered the ground that were so large, the average human would not be able to move them on their own. It looks like Fawkes has indeed proved himself useful, despite a lot of the angry and fearful looks the Brotherhood gave him. In their defense, they were out here to kill Super Mutants. Who the hell would've thought that one of them would actually be friendly, let alone offer to help them?

Ken snickered and looked at his hulking companion. "Well, how about we go out on another adventure? Elder Lyons gave me a mission." Fawkes seemed to relax at the mention of the old man. "I could use your company."

Fawkes nodded without hesitation. "Anything for you, friend. And I would gladly help out Master Lyons, seeing as he is the only one who accepts my presence." He quickly turned his massive head towards an unsuspecting knight nearby. The knight's face went pale and his knees buckled. He was near passing out in fear when Fawkes threw his head back in laughter.

Ken shook his head, although he himself couldn't fight the urge to chuckle a bit. "Meet me in the center of the bailey in twenty minutes. I need to make some preparations, and you should too." Fawkes nodded in acknowledgement and turned to leave; making tremors with his footsteps that nearly knocked every person off their feet.

Ken walked over to the large glowing map at the corner of the lab. The round magnifying glass glided from one spot of the grid to another, over and over again. It continued to remind everyone of the locations of the vaults, although Ken took note of other symbols scattered across it. He studied it closely, recognizing some of the locations he has visited in his travels. Megaton, Rivet City, and Canterbury Commons seem to glow brighter than the rest, signifying the settlements with the higher importance. _'Looks like this thing got an upgrade.'_

"That map got a system update." Ken looked behind him in the direction of the mind reader. Scribe Rothchild walked up and stood next to him, admiring the map himself. "We found a lot of useful things at the remains of Raven Rock. I have to say, Kenneth. You did a lousy job of destroying it." Ken looked at the scribe in disbelief. Rothchild smiled to himself. "Well, that's a good thing, because we wouldn't have been able to make more markers on our map, and we wouldn't know the location of a possibly dangerous artifact."

Ken looked back at the map. He noticed that the round glass had stopped moving and was pointing at a spot just northeast of the GNR plaza. "I'm guessing that's where it's at?"

The scribe nodded. "The coordinates we pulled out of the holotapes pointed directly to the old Vault Tec headquarters. Unfortunately, the holotapes were slightly damaged, so besides that this strange device is powered by nuclear energy and is deep underground, we don't know much else. Also, the location is in the heart of DC and extreme caution is advised." The scribe paused, looking over at the young man. He crossed his arms. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"I know. I was getting bored anyway."

Rothchild chuckled at the response. "I'll update your Pip-Boy so that you can be on your way."

"That won't be necessary, Rothchild." He turned towards the scribe. "I know where it is. I passed by there when I was helping out a group of mercenaries and I've scavenged it since then." He paused, remembering the nightmare of a mission he had taken on to help Riley's Rangers. "I can manage."

Rothchild smiled in understanding. "Well then, best be off then." He held out his hand. "Good luck. And may Steel be with you."

After shaking the scribe's hand, Ken made his way over to the armory. His heart pounded a bit faster when he realized what his next stop would consist of. Insults, flying objects, and a pretty face. He picked up his pace excitingly when he finished his thought.

When he stepped inside, he knew he was in the right place when he heard the familiar _clang_'s and _bong_'s coming from the other side of the chained window. He stepped up to it and looked inside. On the other side of the room, he could see an empty mattress. Next to it, along the walls on the perimeter of the room, lay a multitude of shelves all covered in weapons and armor. As he was observing the room, a helmet of a piece of power armor slammed into the bars with a loud _clang_, startling Ken and making him jump back.

"Whoa!"

"Who's there?" asked a familiar voice. She came into view from underneath the window and looked out to whoever made the sound. When she realized who it was, she frowned and walked towards the opening. "What the hell do you want?"

Ken gave her a nervous smile. "Hey, Durga. I was hoping you could fix something for me?"

The Knight Captain gave him a cold stare, one that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. She was just as intimidating as she was pretty, being that she practically made any man shake in his boots.

Finally, Durga responded. "I'll unlock the door. As usual, DON'T try anything stupid." She disappeared from the window and the door next to it clicked loudly. Ken stepped inside, closing the door and resisted the urge to lock it, knowing that Durga wouldn't be pleased. He saw her leaning against her work bench with arms crossed across her chest, waiting for the tall man to take a step closer. When he did, she spoke up.

"I won't fix any of your primitive fire arms. That shit's for ghouls and pussies." She frowned. "So unless you're here to give me something to fix that's quick and easy, I recommend you beat it."

Ken showed the black haired girl his open palms. "Take it easy, Durga. I was just hoping you could patch up my jumpsuit."

The Quartermaster frowned, fixing her high ponytail angrily. "Sorry, little one, but I'm afraid I'm out of teddy bear figured cloth for your pajamas."

Ken grinned at the remark. She's a tough one, but he didn't mind. "Come on, Captain. Those are my favorite. At least take a look?"

Durga exhaled in annoyance, but she couldn't help being amused by the response. _'Well, at least he's cute.'_

"Fine, but leave it on. Last thing I need is to see a helpless man in his under wear while I try to improve his lifestyle."

She walked over to him and observed the leather. It was tattered, beaten, and old, but she could tell it was structurally still very strong. Some of the brown protective plates were chipped and some of the pieces were missing, but for the most part, the important parts that were inside of the blue leather that protected vital organs were still intact and had minimal damage. She walked behind him and tugged on the harness around the jumpsuit. Still sturdy and doing its job. She then looked at the yellow numbers on his back. They were still attached, but it looked like the first '1' was peeling off, although really it wasn't important. She thought about ripping them off and doing this idiot a favor by taking the large bulls eye off his back, but fought the urge and continued her analysis. When she was done, she walked in front of the tall man and crossed her arms angrily.

"You obviously didn't come here for me to fix your pajamas. What the hell do you want?"

"I just wanted to say hi. And goodbye, but I knew if I said that you probably would've knocked me over the head with something made of steel."

Ken smiled. He could tell that she relaxed a bit at his words. She never really had anyone who just wanted to have a talk with her. Most of the men here just spoke to her about weapons, and others would just sweet talk her about how nice her ass was.

However, he saw Durga move unexpectedly quickly. Before he could react, Durga had grabbed a nearby plasma pistol, and in one swift motion brought it down on his head. Ken yelped in pain and held his head in his arms, rubbing the newly formed bump on his temple.

"Ow! Yeah, like that!"

"I hate it when people lie to me! Fucking asshole!" She stormed towards the door, pulling it open. "Get out!"

Ken stood there for a moment, rubbing his head and looked towards the Quartermaster.

"Hey I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to offend you. I just wanted to try and have a conversation." He slowly made his way towards the door. "I've been sent out on an assignment, and as always I just wanted to pay my respects. I don't know if I'll come back."

He paused for a moment. Durga gave him a quizzical look before responding. "You're lucky I didn't hit you any harder."

"You didn't have to. I get the point." Ken walked out of the door and was about to leave when he heard a sigh behind him.

"Hey, Ken." He looked towards the dark haired girl. It was the first time she actually called him by name. "Thanks. And come back in one piece."

She hesitated, unsure of what to say next. Then, she said something Ken didn't see coming. "We can have a conversation then." She slammed the door and locked it.

Ken smiled widely. This might turn out great after all.

**A/N: Wow. Not even 2000 words. Sorry. Though I promise Chapter 3 will not disappoint! See you there!**


	4. Chapter 3: Discovery

**A/N: And here is Chapter 3! Plenty going on in this one and it is the chapter where things start happening. Please don't forget to follow and favorite if you are enjoying it and as always, please drop me a review to tell me what you think. I really appreciate the support. I almost stopped writing because I felt no more motivation, but it seems the people on here are liking this story, so I pushed on. Thanks again and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

**Kind regards,**

**Just another fan.**

* * *

_Chapter 3: Discovery_

The Lone Wanderer met up with Fawkes at the center of the Bailey. Before they departed for their journey, Ken wanted to see if he could borrow something from his hulking companion.

"Hey, Fawkes?"

"Hm? Yes, what is it?"

"Would it be okay if I borrowed your Super Sledge?"

Ken waited for a reply. He wasn't sure how the large creature would answer, although he knew that the weapon was his prized possession. Fawkes held his chin, complementing the request.

"Hmmm. Well, I don't see why not. You have great skill in close combat, and I trust you will do well with it." Fawkes reached over his shoulder and unslung his massive device. It was a menacing piece of technology. He handed the weapon over to his smaller friend. "Please do well to keep it safe."

"I will. Thanks Fawkes." Ken took the weapon in his hands. It was lighter than its common brethren, and he could see that the head had some slight modifications to it. He instantly could tell that this weapon was designed to do an incredible amount of damage, much more than its weaker predecessors. Ken slung it over his shoulder and began inserting a few commands into his Pip-Boy. A second later, Ken's hands glowed green like the screen of his portable device. The light was replaced with a large mini gun. Ken felt the mass of the large weapon fully rebuild itself as the weight of the weapon finally was just right.

"Take Eugene. She's much more powerful, and I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with her."

Ken noticed that Fawkes was visibly excited. He had one that fired lasers throughout their travels, but it broke down beyond repair during the siege of the memorial.

Ken held out the handle to the massive death machine. Fawkes grabbed hold of it, testing its weight in his massive hands.

Fawkes laughed. "It's PERFECT! Thank you, my friend! She is in good hands!"

Ken smiled. It was a frightening sight to see a super mutant relish a shiny new toy, but it's for the same reason he had him as a friend.

The ugly bastard loved to tear his enemies to shreds.

The pair walked outside of the Citadel, sending their regards to those they passed and the group that protected the gates just outside. Bael nodded toward the Lone Wanderer but shot the giant brute a dirty look and raised his weapon, motioning that he still didn't trust him. Fawkes wasn't offended however, and simply waved a massive hand to the young guard in steel.

Night had fallen, and the Lone Wanderer preferred it that way. It was easier to get around without being bothered and it was easier for him to see raider camps well ahead of time, seeing as the idiots always had a fire going. The duo walked east, stopping only once when they encountered Doc Hoff of Canterbury Commons on the way.

"Ah! If it isn't my favorite sponsor!" The Good Doctor held out his hand. "How are you this fine evening?"

Ken shook the strong hand. "Doing well, thanks. How come you're out so late? You're usually home around this hour."

Hoff scowled at the reminder. "Well, it only so happens that a group of raiders were foolish enough to try and rob us!" He pointed his thumb over to Thomas, his usual bodyguard. The older mercenary waved to Ken and he waved back. "Thomas is truly skilled with his rifle. I'm glad he took this job!"

"I'm glad too." Ken replied. "The wasteland needs more people like you."

The Lone Wanderer sold all his non-essential items like glass jars and alcohol, getting a decent amount of bottle caps for his troubles. He was about to say goodbye when he heard his companion yell behind him.

"HAHA! TIME FOR YOU TO DIE!"

Ken yelled to the Doc to take cover and instructed Thomas to stay near him. He heard the familiar whir of Eugene as she came to life, ready to 'kick some ass', as her original owner would've put it.

Ken took his Blackhawk out of its holster. He turned in the direction his companion had yelled and discovered he was moving south, Eugene spitting out waves of hot lead into large, massive figures. The figures closed in on Fawkes and the first of which took a lightning fast lunge at him, two giant claws swinging in from both flanks meeting in the center. The impact caused Fawkes to be knocked back a few feet, lowering his weapon to try to regain his balance.

Deathclaws.

Ken immediately fired off a few rounds into the first creature, causing it to flinch and taking its attention away from his friend. The other two were still behind it, confused at the sudden intervention. The first Deathclaw ran towards the Lone Wanderer, roaring loudly at its new prey. It took a long, uncoordinated swing at the smaller being. Ken dove to his left, rolled onto his knee, and holstered his revolver. _'Time to see what this thing is capable of.'_

He brought out Fawkes' Super Sledge and waited for the Deathclaw to make its move. Sensing the human's patience, the Deathclaw swung its right claw towards the smaller creature. Ken rolled forward underneath the careless strike and, using his momentum coming out of his move, he swung his weapon like a golf club into the massive creature's abdomen. It roared in surprise and attacked again, this time with both arms. Ken ducked underneath and slammed his weapon into the creature's right leg, crushing the bone and causing the creature to buckle. Ken climbed onto its back without a moment's hesitation, and he imagined a nail sticking out of the creature's neck. He slammed his mechanical hammer down onto it, causing the spine and neck of its victim to separate and shatter under the powerful blow.

_'One down, two to go.'_

Ken jumped off and ran in the direction his friend was in. He stopped when he noticed that Fawkes had already taken down the remaining two creatures, having snapped the neck of one with his bare hands and allowed Eugene to take the last. He cackled loudly at the sight of the victory.

"Hahaha! That was too easy!"

Ken shuddered at the sight. He normally wasn't afraid of Fawkes and his power, but whenever he sees how quickly and easily he can take down a Deathclaw, in this case two, he becomes much more grateful that he was his ally.

Fawkes noticed his companion's unease. "Are you hurt my friend? If so, it is convenient that the Good Doctor just happens to be near! HAH!"

Ken shook his head. "I'm fine, thanks. Let's get going. I want to be there by sunrise."

Fawkes tucked his weapon behind him in response. "And get there, we shall!"

Ken noticed a bloody gash on his companions left arm. "Are you alright?"

Fawkes laughed at the petty paper cut. "Thank you my friend. This is but a mere flesh wound! No cause for concern." Ken smiled at his companion's strength, and began walking back towards the Good Doctor.

Ken helped Doc Hoff cut off the hands of the dead creatures, seeing how they are worth a few caps. Ken let the Doc keep them and in thanks, he gave Ken a handful of Stimpacks and showed him a chain he had scavenged. It was still intact and pretty sturdy, but the good doctor had no use for it. Ken graciously accepted it, thinking that it would come into good use one day.

The odd looking duo continued forward, this time not allowing any other distractions. A few raiders tried to take the jump on them, but each of them ended up with either their corpses full of lead or a .44 round in between the eyes. When the two travelers entered the limits of the DC ruins, they readied their weapons and prepared for the worst.

They cautiously moved through the streets of the rotting metal and stone, making sure they weren't spotted by raiders or Super Mutants. Fawkes had taken point, seeing that if they suddenly encounter one of his kind, the Lone Wanderer would have time to react and strike before the mutants could even begin to understand what was going on.

Fawkes raised a large fist over his shoulder, signaling to stop. He looked around the corner of an old brick building, and spotted a group of the abominations just ahead.

"Meta humans," he announced, "four of them. They're all huddled together."

He heard the click of a grenade from behind. "Care to take the honors?"

Fawkes shook his head. "They're all yours, friend."

Ken came out from his hiding spot behind Fawkes and chucked the pineapple into the square of the area. The bomb clinked against the pavement in the center of the group, gaining the attention of its future victims and exploded. In a split second, all four bodies landed on the pavement at the same time, their limbs scattering across the courtyard. Fawkes walked into the vicinity, Eugene sweeping the area for any leftovers.

"Clear! Nice arm kid!"

Ken came up next to his friend, his old trusty repeater in hand. "Thanks, but keep your eyes peeled. A large group like that may have their superiors nearby."

Almost as if in response, a Super Mutant Brute came out of the north side of the square, howling in agony at the sight of his fallen brothers. "Contact!" yelled Fawkes, and let his new target have it. The Brute returned fire, ducking behind a brick wall to avoid the furious wave of bullets in his wake.

Ken sprinted towards him, taking advantage of the time Fawkes just bought. He positioned himself against the adjacent part of the wall, aiming his rifle at about where the mutants head would be. He looked at Fawkes and nodded, signaling his companion to draw him out. Fawkes didn't hesitate.

"RELOADING!" he bellowed. Except he only stopped firing, waiting for his foolish relative to charge him. The plan worked perfectly. The Brute came out of his cover, charging towards his aggressor with a sledgehammer in hand.

Ken pulled the trigger. The .44 round went straight into the metal helmet from the back and exited through its forehead. The Brute collapsed in a heap. A clean kill. Ken took a deep breath and activated the lever, loading another round. He was glad he was still accurate. The duo regrouped and moved the rest of the way towards their destination with little resistance. Finally, after having to weave through a few collapsed buildings and going through a metro tunnel, they arrived to the place their mission was waiting to be completed: Vault Tec HQ.

The Lone Wanderer and the intelligent mutant did not let down their guard. They have learned from the first time they visited the Downtown DC Ruins that the Super Mutants in the Capital Wasteland infested this area in search of something important to them. Ken never actually discovered what that motive was, but he had deactivated the mainframe after locating the vault that held a certain Stradivarius.

The two made it to the front doors. Fawkes continued towards them, but he noticed his companion was looking up in the sky. He stepped next to him and gazed in the direction he was looking, shielding his eyes from the strong morning sun.

"Everything alright, friend?"

Ken nodded. He couldn't stop staring at the bolted letters. After he learned the true intentions of this place before the Great War and the true purpose for the vaults they created, he loathed the very company that basically killed the last, best hope for the survival of his kin. There was no doubt in his mind that what they were looking for was indeed a weapon.

He looked at his partner and smiled. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

They quickly infiltrated the building, sweeping the area for possible threats and anything that moved. Once the duo was satisfied with their analysis, they returned to what used to be a lobby area, one that had a giant steel door displayed in the center with the numbers 101 painted on it.

Ken looked up at the replica of the door he once knew. It was heavily rusted, and the yellow paint had almost completely faded. He looked underneath it and noticed Fawkes was touching the wall below it. Ken looked a little closer. He noticed the same type of rust was covering the wall the large hand was brushing. That's strange. From what he could tell, the walls of the building were made of concrete and wood. Unless…

Fawkes pounded his fist on the wall. Some of the rust fell off, but Fawkes smiled when he was greeted with the sound of solid steel emitting from the point of impact.

"Ken! It seems there is a door here!"

Ken jogged over excitedly. He never noticed it during his first visit. Leave it to the keen senses of his large friend to discover a minor detail.

"Nice work Fawkes! Now, let's try to figure out how to get this damn thing open."

"Allow ME!"

Ken stepped back. Fawkes found the seam in the center of the door that suggested they opened sideways. Fawkes slid his fingernails into to the seam and began to try and pry it open. It didn't budge. Fawkes added some more torque. Still, the door refused to respond. Finally, Fawkes reset his grip and with all his might, he pried at the great doors, letting out a loud howl. Nope. Noting his efforts were in vain, Fawkes stepped away from the doors after sending his knuckles into them.

"Curse this ancient metal!"

Ken was busy looking through the desk that was in the center of the room. He found a blue key card but he couldn't find any mechanism that would accept it. Fawkes joined in on the search, lifting up desks and the rusting robot corpses the Lone Wanderer had left behind during his original raid.

Fawkes picked up an old Mr. Gutsy, thinking that maybe it had landed on the console that they were looking for. It sputtered a little, startling Fawkes, and he was on the verge of crunching it underneath his massive boot when his liberator stopped him.

"WAIT! I think it's about to say something!"

Fawkes looked at the rusting pile of tin. He set it down on a desk and the Lone Wanderer opened up its circuit panel. He played with the wires expertly, crossing a few here and there, pulling out his combat knife to cut and fray some too.

It only took a moment for him to get it just right. He made sure to deactivate its weapon systems before connecting the power, just in case.

The slagheap whirred to life. Its propulsion pod spat out dust and grime before it lifted itself into the air. It ran a few system checks, taking note of what was functional and what wasn't. Two of the three sensors scanned the area, while the one in the center stayed limp. Eventually, its sensors came across the two intruders. It began to bark loudly.

"WARNING! You are trespassingin Vault Tec [ERROR]! Please [ERROR][ERROR][ERROR]!"

The Lone Wanderer crossed his arms. "Slagheap! Initiate protocol 5-7-9!"

The robot stopped its movements. "Protocol 5-7-9 initiated! Awaiting further instructions!"

Ken continued his orders. "Slagheap! Reinstate your current duties in the positive intervals!"

"Understood! [ERROR] My routine circuits are malfunctioning! Recommend the initiation of protocol Alpha-Hotel-7-3!"

Ken was satisfied. If this was the makeshift door man of the door they were trying to enter, then having it replay its final command should do the trick. He crossed his fingers, hoping his luck hadn't run out yet. "Slagheap! Recommendation acknowledged! Initiate protocol Alpha-Hotel-7-3!"

The robot beeped in response. "Initiating! Please stand by!" It whirred for a while, trying to dig up its secondary files to satisfy the command. Finally, after a few moments, it spoke up, repeating its latest transmission.

"Atten-SHUN! Please step forward for immediate[ERROR: PLEASE REPROGRAM DIALOGUE]!

"_*static* _Smith! Lead Scientist _*static*_!Greggo_*static*_ Nuclear Mechanism [ERROR]! Welcome SIRS!" Its propulsion engine tried to initiate more power, but it sputtered and failed. "Please present your key cards at the end of this hall! And PLEASE have a pleasant evening at Vault Tec!"

Once it had finished its presentation, the robot lost power and dropped to the floor. Ken cursed under his breath, kicking the pile of rust with his boot. But before he could cause any more damage, he heard a loud _creak _emitting from the rusted wall.

The door had slid open. Fawkes laughed loudly in satisfaction, picking up Eugene and had begun walking towards it. The Lone Wanderer followed closely behind, observing the steel frame. It was much bigger than it looked. As they walked down the empty hall, Ken couldn't help but notice how clean the place was. For being two hundred years old, that is. The window on his left was covered with a metal frame, probably designed to withstand a nuclear blast. The logic made sense to him and he continued to follow his friend.

At the end of the hall there was another pair of steel doors. These were rusted too, but not to the degree of the first. Ken activated his Pip-Boy light and began searching for an opening, something that would accept the key card he found at the front desk. He found a slot on the right hand side of the door and inspected it to see if it was receiving any power. After opening its panel and playing with its guts, the young man was able to get the thing to glow green and fed it his card. It took a moment before the machine digested the key, but once it did, the doors slowly opened.

The room on the other side was pitch black. Ken raised his bright Pip-Boy in an effort to see in front of him. The room was large and open, the darkness making it seem as though it were endless. The Lone Wanderer cautiously moved inside a few feet and before he could begin to inspect the room for a possible light source, he stepped on something that made a loud _crunch_ underneath his boot. He lifted it and looked to see what had caused it. He had stepped into a pile of bones. Ken froze in confusion. The entire floor was covered in ancient bones. Just when he was about to show his disgust, he heard a loud screeching sound coming from deep within the void, followed by a chorus of even louder screeches.

Quickly, Ken took out his Super Sledge and brought it down in front of him where he heard the sound of the first feral ghoul had run to. He sent the abomination flying across the room, only to be replaced by three more sprinting towards him.

Fawkes open fired, sending 5mm rounds into the makeshift team. They went down quickly, but another flock came in from the duo's right flank. Ken materialized his repeater and shot three of the four ghouls square in the head, the exploding bits of which painted the walls behind them.

The fourth one was lucky. When it got within a few feet, it lunged towards the young man and clawed his face at a frightening speed. Ken was knocked onto his back, flinching at the sharp pain on his forehead. Fawkes quickly grabbed the ghoul by its shriveled neck with his left hand and jabbed his barrels into its stomach. Before it could even squirm, Fawkes fired his weapon, the 5mm rounds tearing through the flimsy flesh and ripped the abomination in half. The rounds continued their trajectory with no regard to the creature at point blank and entered into another group of feral ghouls, leaving nothing but large blotches of rotten flesh. Fawkes tossed the remaining pieces of torso aside and covered his companion as he tried to regain his position.

The fighting continued for much longer than what they were used to. Wave after wave of feral ghouls attacked the duo, seeming to be endless. Fawkes had to reload twice throughout the mayhem, but when it was finally over, the two warriors were completely out of breath. Fawkes took a few steps forward, sweeping the room with his already red hot weapon.

"Clear! That was…ENLIGHTENING! LITERALLY! I HAVE BARELY ANY AMMO LEFT!"

Ken slid down on to the ground, still trying to catch his breath. He rested his head against the concrete wall behind him. _'That was too close.' _He thought. _'I really need to work on my cardio.'_

Fawkes thumped over to his friend, kneeling down next to him. "Are you alright? It seems your cut is bleeding heavily."

Ken touched his forehead. Blood flowed freely from the wound, dripping down the bridge of his nose as if they were his tears. The drops of blood took a detour on his face, slithering into the old scar he had from his first encounter with a Deathclaw. Ken pulled out a bandage out of his pocket and wrapped his head tightly with it. He felt it soak up the blood, but he knew it would stop the bleeding. No need to waste a Stimpack.

"I'll manage. Just caught off guard."

Fawkes looked concerned, but nodded in acknowledgment. He rose to his feet and extended his hand down to pick up the smaller creature. Ken gratefully accepted it, relieved that his mutant friend did most of the work for him. When he finally caught his breath, he turned to a pillar that had a gray box attached to it. He walked over and opened it. Perfect.

Ken flipped the switch. The room illuminated brightly as the power grid activated the breakers one by one.

Fawkes flinched at the unexpected light. "Argh! Power? This place has working power?!"

"I guess so. It's possible this place has geothermal power grids underground."

When the room was finally completely filled with light, Ken counted the bodies of the fallen creatures on the floor. At least the ones that remained mostly intact. 53. _'Damn, that's probably the most I've ever encountered at one time.'_ He shook his head. "Hey, Fawkes? See anything in here that may be our target?"

Fawkes was studying what looked like an elevator at the center of the room. He shook his head. "No, but I believe this may take us to it." He touched the interaction panel. It glowed with life. "It seems to be fully functional."

Ken walked over to it. "This thing must be an elevator." He studied its curious shape, one that resembled the Citadel from the outside. "It's been a long time since it was probably activated and it may not even work. Should we try it?"

Fawkes nodded. "It is the only way we can find out if my theory is correct."

Ken stepped inside, followed closely by his partner. He touched the interaction panel on the inside. It also seemed functional. Ken stroked it gently, searching for a log of some sort. The Mr. Gutsy had said in its recording that whoever came in last were nuclear personnel, so whatever floor they had gone to had to be the one that housed what he was looking for.

The large mutant was studying a map on the opposite side of the elevator. "It seems this elevator goes straight up from our current level, but after about ten floors down, it can move sideways into different areas!" He growled in frustration. "That device could be literally anywhere!"

Ken frowned at the realization. "How deep underground does it go?"

"The last and final floor is the one hundred and twenty fifth." Fawkes turned to his companion, who was still typing commands into the interface. "What do you suggest we do?"

Ken punched a final command. He found the log deep inside the internal hard drive of the machine, and he grinned when he found his answer.

"We go as deep as possible."

Fawkes laughed. "Well that was easy!"

Ken felt the elevator being to move. It hissed quietly, regaining its strength as it prepared to drop.

And drop it did.

The hydraulics failed after two hundred years and the pod dropped at an alarming rate. Ken and Fawkes were shot into the ceiling, pinned down by the incredible speed. Fawkes's massive body threatened to rip through the delicate machine but before it could, the emergency brakes activated and slowed down the elevator rapidly. Ken's face was buried into the floor, his cut oozing blood through his bandage at the sudden impact. Sensing the elevator moving at a more controlled speed, he looked over at Fawkes. He struggled to get on his feet, just inches away from Ken's tiny body. Any closer and he would have been completely crushed by the nine hundred pound monster.

After a little while longer, the elevator finally reached the final floor. Ken stumbled out, vomiting into an unsuspecting chair. Immediately, he regained his composure and drew his Blackhawk and pointed it into the dark room. Fawkes did the same, ready this time around for anything to come out of the shadows. They were met with silence.

Ken found a similar box and flipped it on. This room was a little smaller than the first one they had entered. The duo stepped deeper into the room, scanning it for clues and hostile activity. Nothing but bones and old dust were there to greet them.

Ken looked at the heart of the room. It was surrounded by a semicircle of ancient computers and hard drives. The semicircle ended on the opposite side of the room and a monitor could be seen right in the center of all the equipment. Ken went closer, looking to see what the monitor controlled and what the semicircle surrounded. He saw what looked like an half of a frame, a single curved piece of metal rising up from the center of its base. Ken saw that all the cables it was connected to seemed undamaged and he noticed that the strange arch was inside of a track. He concluded that this machine was far from incomplete and it was designed to spin at what could be a rapid rate. Ken was puzzled. A strange design for a weapon.

Fawkes was observing a monitor against an adjacent wall. "Ken! This machine is still functional! Perhaps it contains more information on that device?"

Ken hurried over to his companion. "Possibly. Give me a second to play around with it." After digging through its files, he found nothing pertaining to the device, and only found confusing equations that even he had trouble following. Also, he found some strange love notes to a lady named Jane. _'The people of the Old World really liked to take risks.'_

After about thirty minutes of searching, the duo couldn't dig up anything that would tell them of the device's intended purpose. There was only one way to find out, and it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Fawkes, you're crazy!" Ken was annoyed at the suggestion. "We don't know what this device does, and you want to activate it?! It could kill us both!"

The abomination shrugged. "Well, either we do that, or we go report to Master Lyons about our discovery and have the Enclave come in and take it while we are gone!" Ken wasn't amused. "This way we know for certain it is either a weapon, or something non-lethal! Either way, we can deactivate it and render it useless so that no one can use it!"

Ken thought about this for a second. There already was a chance that the device may not even activate at all, but if they were this deep underground and many of the power grids were still able to function, then this thing could still be awoken with some power diversion. Fawkes had a point in trying to discover its current state, but in no way does it justify awakening an ancient technology that could potentially kill them. Ken frowned.

"No Fawkes. It's too risky. Let's gather whatever information we can find and on the way out I'll sabotage some of the security systems. That way, should the Enclave or anyone unwelcome comes looking, it'll at least slow them down until we can get some firepower down here."

The giant brute thought about this for a moment, then sighed in defeat. "Very well, friend. You lead, I follow."

Ken began downloaded some data onto his Pip-Boy, not too concerned with what he's taking. He would upload it to the Brotherhood scribes' computer and he'll let them do the digesting.

Fawkes entered a small room that housed what looked like a communication relay and a small television set. He looked through the drawers, pulling out holotapes and placing them inside his satchel. He was about done when he noticed a sparking control panel on the opposite side of the door. Curiosity getting the best of him, Fawkes came closer to it, observing the beaten interface and trying to find anything that would suggest its purpose.

"Ken! I found something that may interest you."

"What is it?"

"A control panel, by the looks of it." He reached out to touch it. "Perhaps you should take a look?"

"Give me a second. I'm still downloading something. Why don't you see what it does?"

"Right!"

Fawkes pushed a button, hoping maybe it would activate the relay or maybe the monitor it was on top of. Instead, the metal door he came in slid closed and locked with a loud _Click._ Fawkes immediately slammed his body weight into it trying to free himself. It wouldn't budge.

"GAAHHHH!" The giant beast howled in anger as it tried to break free, throwing its massive stature at the makeshift prison. Ken ran towards his partner and looked inside the window.

"Fawkes! What happened?"

"This damn door is locked AND I CAN'T. GET IT. OPEN!" He slammed into the door again, making the whole chamber shake violently.

"Fawkes! Calm down! You probably engaged a lock down protocol! Where is the interface you used?" Fawkes howled loudly again, blinded by his instinct to break free. "Fawkes! FAWKES!"

It was no use. The creature had lost control of his sanity and slammed into the door repeatedly. He charged up for another blow, slamming a huge amount of power into the gray metal. It was enough to throw Ken off balance and he staggered into the center monitor in the semicircle.

The light glowed green. Ken struggled to his feet, returning to try and get his companion to reason with him, completely unaware that the frame had begun to glow a bright yellow. It was starting to move in a circular motion, picking up speed and began to hum loudly. Fawkes had charged up another massive blow to his new nemesis but stopped when he saw the light. He looked straight into it, relaxing his muscles in awe of its beauty. Ken noticed his strange reaction and turned to look to see what had caused his friend to stop. The frame had been replaced with a bright yellow egg, spinning angrily and spitting out pieces of concentrated energy. Ken looked back at his trapped companion, exchanging a look with him before the beast yelled something that Ken could barely make out.

"RUN!"

He hesitated. There was no way he was leaving his friend, no way he would abandon him after all he had done for him.

"NO! I need to get you out of there!"

"YOU FOOL! THAT THING IS UNSTABLE! YOU NEED TO RUN! NOW!"

Before Ken could even turn on his heel, the yellow egg exploded violently, sending Ken through the air and slamming him against the concrete wall. The impact knocked the breath out of his lungs and the loud sound caused his ears to ring. He could feel Fawkes slamming the door, still trying to get out.

"FRIEND! FRIEND! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

Ken struggled to his feet and shuffled to the center monitor. Maybe he could stop it, maybe he could shut it off before it engaged another explosion and killed him and his partner.

When he got close to the monitor, he noticed the egg was gone, and the frame had disappeared. In its place, he saw something strange, alien to anyone in the wasteland.

Before he could figure out what it was, another explosion emitted from the center of the room. But instead of knocking him back, the Lone Wanderer felt himself being pulled inside, as if there was a vacuum pulling him into the heart of the chamber. His feet slipped out from under him, knocking his head against the concrete floor. He felt his vision blur and his strength buckle as he slid rapidly towards what he rationalized as a hole. He grabbed the end of one of the machines and held on for dear life. But his hands were losing feeling; he could feel his consciousness leaving him as he heard a loud _clang_. His fingers slipped and he began being pulled again into the void, only to be stopped by a massive yellow that had grabbed his forearm.

"GOTCHA!"

Ken looked up at his companion and silently thanked him, but that was when he realized he was already halfway through the hole. He could feel his chest against the concrete floor, and from his waist down he could feel…wind?

Fawkes had grabbed hold of Ken with his left hand, his right clutching the massive equipment. He could feel his grip loosening as his blood pulsed out of his injured arm. He couldn't hold on for much longer, and as he tried to pull up his friend, he felt his own strength begin to fade. He looked at Ken in the eyes and saw that he was mouthing something. He also noticed that the hole was slowly collapsing, concentrating its vacuum and pulling Ken in as if it wanted to keep its new friend.

_Let go._

"No! GAHHH!" Fawkes let out a final roar, placing all of his energy into a final ditch effort to try and pull out his friend. It was useless. He had no strength left and his own blood betrayed him as it finally made his grip too slippery to hold on. He flew across where the void used to be and rolled violently onto the floor. He got up and looked around desperately to try and find his friend, but reality seeped itself into his mind.

His liberator was gone.


	5. Chapter 4: Contact

**A/N: Hey guys! Its felt like ****_ages_**** since I've updated. Sorry to keep you waiting. I plan on updating a second time this week, so that way it doesn't seem that bad. Anyway, I have a few things I want to say, but I'll leave that at the end. I hope you enjoy Chapter 4!**

* * *

_Chapter 4: Contact_

_May The Heavens Reward Him For His Sacrifice_

It was freezing. Damn windy, too. The ringing in his ears had finally begun to fade and was quickly becoming replaced by a roaring sound. Ken felt his strength slowly begin to regenerate, his adrenaline slapping his senses and shutting off his pain receptors. As it slipped through his veins he felt the sensation of being upside down and opened his eyes to see what was going on.

He was falling. _'Oh, shit.'_

He looked towards the ground. It was dark, and he noticed he was falling head first into…shit, he can't tell. Quickly, he brought his hips down and tried to open himself up like a parachute. No use, he finally he was too close to the ground. As he came closer, he noticed a wide body of water and immediately drew his revolver. He fired into the lake without thinking, breaking the peaceful surface with two massive rounds. He straightened himself out and pierced the surface of the water with his boots, plunging deep into the freezing cold abyss.

Ken relaxed. He felt peace in this lake. Hell, he wouldn't mind dying here. The water was…clear. It was sweet in his mouth. The familiar bitter taste of radiation was non-existent. Unfortunately, the rational part of his mind had other plans for him. His lungs struggled to take the last bit of oxygen available, begging his brain to take a deep breath. He began to swim up. He realized he had entered deep into the lake and he was beginning to panic. Just as he broke the surface once again, he took a huge gasp of air. He floated there for a moment, trying to get himself together. He looked around and saw it was late at night. He swam towards the shore to try and regain his sanity. His adrenaline had depleted, and when he was finally out of the sweet water, he collapsed on the ground breathing heavily and coughed out the water in his chest. He rolled onto his back and looked straight up at the sky. He saw the stars glowing brightly at him, almost as if they were trying to light his way. He saw a smooth swaying of a strange shape underneath them, a shape he only saw in a small part of the wasteland that had…trees. That's it, these were trees. Ken felt his consciousness slipping again, and before his eyes shut, he noticed the stars had a companion, the sight of which made him tremble.

A moon. A moon that was shattered into a thousand pieces.

_I am Alpha and Omega._

Ken woke up with a start. He sat up from his soaking wet spot, drawing his weapon and pointing it in front of him in a state of panic. Slowly, he recollected himself, and looked around to see where he was. He was hoping maybe it was all a dream, that maybe he had just fallen asleep in his home near a giant bomb. He tried to stand, but was greeted with a painful soreness throughout his body. He sat back down and decided to take note of his surroundings from his sitting position.

Ken's emotions became disoriented when he saw the stunning sight. It was bright now, the amount of natural light suggested that it was early morning. He saw that his earlier conclusion was correct. He was in a forest; the trees danced in the light breeze and seemed happy with the warmth of the sun. He noticed that their leaves were blood red and not a single one of them were any other color. Even the ones on the ground were the same as if they had fallen only a moment or two ago. He looked around in astonishment, trying to see if there was any end to it. He was entirely surrounded, but he noticed that he was in a clearing and that the lake he had fallen into was located at the center. This place was strikingly beautiful. Too beautiful. It couldn't be real. Ken struggled to his feet.

_'Am I dead?'_

As he set his weight on his legs, he was met with a sharp pain along his right thigh. He yelped out loud and dropped onto his left knee. _'Nope.'_ He concluded. _'Not dead.'_

He stabbed a Stimpack into the injury. He immediately felt relief as the serum mended his femur back together into one piece. He consulted his Pip-Boy, another confirmation of him being alive, and grumbled annoyingly at the message it displayed.

ALERT! NO ROBCO GPS SATELLITE DETECTED. PLEASE CALL [ERROR] FOR IMMEDIATE TROUBLESHOOTING AND REPAIRS.

Ken cleared the message. Flying blind. Just brilliant.

He looked at his stats display on his device. According to his green glowing arm, he had no other physical damage besides his small concussion and recently repaired femur. He switched a few more nobs and buttons, fully analyzing his inventory. So far, he had everything on him: Weapons, check. Ammo, check. Medical supplies, check. Notes and recordings, check. Key ring, check. Armor, check. Satisfied, he lowered his Pip-Boy and began organizing his thoughts. He tried to recall everything that happened and ran through the timeline.

_'Okay, I get an assignment from Old Man Lyons. I get Fawkes and we begin to journey out east after midnight. Come to think of it I should have gotten some rest first, but what done is done. We encounter Deathclaws and take them down. We take out some muties just inside the DC ruins. Then we find the HQ, go inside some steel doors I never saw, and get attacked by a bunch of feral ghouls.' _This made him pause a moment as he recalled the blast doors on the window before the first chamber. _'Wait a minute. If that window was designed to withstand a nuclear blast, then why was there a large amount of ferals in the first chamber?'_

Before he continued his thought, he heard a loud sound emitting from deep within the forest. Ken perked up, his survival instincts kicking in as he looked in the direction of the sound. It resembled gunfire. He pulled out his Blackhawk and looked down the scope into the deep void. Nothing in sight. Not yet, anyway.

Ken decided he should try and leave the forest first, considering that whatever made that sound could be potentially hostile. He climbed up a nearby tree and poked his head up above the tree line. To his right, he could see the sun still rising. He watched it a moment, getting a feel for its rate of movement. It felt familiar, so he concluded that this was still the sun he knew. He hesitated. Or maybe it's not. He recalled the strange sight he witnessed from a few hours ago. A shattered moon. He trembled at the memory. Maybe this isn't his world at all…

He tapped into his Pip-Boy to display the normal default time. After a second of calculations, the Pip-Boy told its owner that it was just past 0700 hours.

When he has done he stopped to look around a bit. To his makeshift west, he could see the forest go on shortly and at its end he concluded was a cliff. He turned to look behind him to the south. What he saw made him almost loose his grip and fall onto the ground.

He saw the biggest building he had ever seen in his life. No, wait. That can't be a building. It's too big. A mountain, maybe? Ken studied it for a moment, his mind racing to try and rationalize what the towering structure was. It was huge. The center tower looked like a giant green clock that touched the sky and the smaller buildings around it stretched out for very long distances. Just as Ken tried to aim his scope to get a better look, he saw the trees in front of him rustle violently. He noticed that the movement was headed straight for him and before he could get down and prepare to stand his ground, his tree was hit with a violent impact and began to fall into the clearing.

"Ah, crap!"

Ken jumped as the tree was about to hit the ground and he broke his fall by rolling into the grass. He studied the tree that betrayed him and noticed what had caused it to give. Along the base of the trunk, he saw what looked like giant claw marks had cut clean through it. He noticed a thick, red liquid was pouring out from the fresh stump. Confused, Ken straightened himself up and searched the trees for any signs of what had caused his tumble.

A large, dark creature emerged from the tree line, growling and snarling at the Lone Wanderer. Bright, red orbs glowed from its face as they stared directly into Ken's. He readied his revolver as the creature came into view. It stood on its hind legs as it stepped out of the tree line and it threw its head into the sky, letting out a loud howl that echoed throughout the forest. A wave of confusion, curiosity, and fear surged throughout Ken's system. He never encountered a creature like this before.

Suddenly, the creature charged at an alarming speed. Ken barely had any time to dodge the massive monster as it crashed into the lake. It whimpered at the unexpected water and tried to shake it off while still in the lake. Without wasting any time, Ken emptied his weapon into the creatures face, hoping his magnum rounds would destroy its brain. As he reloaded, the creature emerged from the lake, crashing onto the shore while taking much of the water with it. It was angry.

That was when Ken noticed the mask. He saw scratches on the white bone where his bullets had tried to penetrate the armor, but he couldn't see any entry points. He scowled. He fired off more rounds into the creature's abdomen and was satisfied when it stumbled backwards in surprise by the sudden impacts. Ken charged towards his opportunity, coming straight into the creature's immediate vicinity and planted his barrel into its chin. He let his final two rounds eat into the dark flesh and explode underneath the creature's mask. The black heap fell backwards in defeat, its glowing red eyes going dark.

Ken went up to study the creature. Its physique was similar to a Deathclaw, but its fangs were much sharper and its hide actually had black fur. He looked at its face and arms and concluded that the white mask and bones growing out of the creature's body acted like an exoskeleton, explaining why his .44's simply ricocheted upon contact. What caught his eye and sparked his curiosity were the red markings on the mask. They looked unnatural, but after trying to scratch them off, he realized they were not made of paint. He named the creature Ugly Deathclaw, considering that even the creatures he knew were much more appealing than this heap of carpet.

Ken came to a conclusion. If this forest is the home of the wild beast then there's no doubt more of them aren't too far away. Plus, it made a loud howl earlier. If that didn't get the attention of its kin, then something else might have heard it, and Ken did not want to find out what that might be. He reloaded his revolver. Checking his bearings once more, he began jogging into his makeshift south, headed in the direction of the towering structure. If he was going to find answers, that's where they would be.

He picked up his speed at the sound of loud growls behind him. He broke into an all-out sprint and had come to realize he had a lot more ground to cover. He cursed under his breath, seriously regretting not taking up on the Elder's offer to train with his warriors.

Ahead he heard more growling. This time, it was much deeper than before and sounded as though it was running towards him. Ken saw another clearing to his left and immediately headed straight for it. There were too many trees for him to fight, so the clearing gave him a better chance to fend for himself.

As he entered the opening he noticed at its center there was what looked like a small, crumbled structure. He jogged over to it, hoping to find something of value that could help his confusion. Instead, all he saw were a pair of ancient pillars coming out of the ground. Ken looked away from the strange structure and waited for his enemies. Fawkes' Super Sledge materialized in his hands and his Blackhawk rested in its holster.

His first target charged him from the point he had entered in the tree line. Ken swung his device to meet the large figure, plunging its massive power multiplier into the top of the creature's skull. It slowed slightly but continued its trajectory and slammed its massive body straight into the Lone Wanderer and sent him flying across the forest floor. Ken quickly got to his feet and readied a defensive stance, taking a moment to assess the damage.

The creature rose from its belly, shaking off the pain in its head. Ken noticed this one was different from the Ugly Deathclaw he killed earlier. This one was shaped more like a Yao Guai.

Ken chuckled. A furry Yao Guai.

The Furry Yao Guai roared at Ken and rose onto its hind legs, trying to scare the smaller creature with its massive height. Ken reset his grip on his Super Sledge and charged directly towards it. The monster responded in kind, running towards its prey to meet it at the center. It raised a giant claw and brought it down diagonally, missing its target as it had rolled right. The Furry Yao Guai tried to stop itself from its powerful momentum and in its confusion; Ken had already gained the advantage and attacked the creature from behind. He brought down his weapon into the creatures back in an effort to break its spine. Its natural armor held well. The creature howled and kicked out its hind leg, catching Ken straight in the chest. He grunted and once again flew back from the impact.

_'Gah! These things aren't just powerful, they're fast!'_

The creature turned to face its opponent. As it roared in anger at the human in front of it, two more of its kind came out from behind it, growling and snarling loudly. They clawed at the ground, readying a synchronized attack. _'Shit' _hethought,_ 'and they're organized.'_

Five more creatures burst through the opposite side of the clearing, four of which fit Ken's description of the Ugly Deathclaw. The fifth was similar to them except it stood much taller and its exoskeleton was thicker and more decorative. He looked back towards the Furry Yao Guai, noting that they looked much more uneasy at the presence of the new group. No time to waste.

In one swift motion, Ken slung his massive device over his shoulder and typed a command into his Pip-Boy, materializing his golden repeater and firing it immediately into the first Yao Guai. It fell on the ground dead, its abdomen ripped open from the resulting impacts and its thick blood poured out. The other two didn't seem to be phased by their fallen comrade, and instead immediately charged Ken while he reloaded. When the two creatures jumped, he tucked and rolled underneath them, leaving them to crash into each other and topple into the structure in the center. When he turned and readied his golden rifle towards the beasts, he was met with a giant claw swooping up from underneath him that caught his chest. With a loud, surprised yell, Ken was sent high into the sky as he was shocked with pain. He landed with a painful _crash_ into some nearby bushes.

Ken regained his footing and readied his weapon once more. He could feel the familiar warm texture of his blood dripping down from his pectorals underneath the blue suit. Those claws pierced the material underneath the leather that was designed to stop bullets and keep shrapnel at bay. These things were becoming more and more frightening by the second. _'That's what I get for forgetting about our little audience.'_

The Lone Wanderer studied the clearing. The four smaller Ugly Deathclaws had formed a wall between him and his original opponent. One of the Furry Yao Guai was dead near the crumbled structure and the other was trying to get on its feet. The fifth and largest of the Deathclaw-like creature stomped over to it and buried the claw of its hind leg straight into the creature's throat. It let out a screech as its neck loudly snapped and the carcass collapsed onto the ground. Ken watched in horror as the larger creature cried out loudly. He was surprised by the scene. The only thing these creatures didn't have in common was there physical anatomy. Otherwise, they were practically the same. Were they not united?

_'They act like the mutated creatures of the wasteland…'_

Ken shrugged the irrelevant thought off. He already knew the only thing he needed to know: They were trying to kill him. They want to take each other out? _'Fine by me.' _His rifle was full, his mind was at ease, and he had planted a trap just behind him. He was ready. Just before he attacked, he noticed a shadow to his left flank had past him blazing fast. More uglies? _'Focus. I already have a target.'_

Ken engaged. He fired off three rounds into the creature in the center left of the line. The creature yelped in pain and charged in response, its fellow monsters following it closely. The four creatures converged towards the human, lunging at the last second simultaneously. The human waited patiently for his attackers. When they were finally close enough, he brought out his Super Sledge and slammed it into the ground, hurtling himself over the creature he had agitated. The four confused uglies smacked into each other at the point where the human used to stand and looked around for their disappeared prey. Ken looked and grinned just as the bottle cap mine exploded. The makeshift currency lodged itself like shrapnel deep into the monsters' hide, ripping bone, flesh, and organs like paper.

Two of the creatures went down. Ken aimed towards the remaining two and pin pointed where the shrapnel had penetrated. They were howling in pain, clawing and nipping at the bottle caps that had caught on their flesh. Ken raised his golden rifle and fired into the shrapnel with deadly accuracy, pushing the aluminum pieces deep inside and causing the bullets to split. One of the uglies collapsed instantly, while the other simply cried out as its blood abandoned its body.

_'Four down, one to go.'_

Ken slowly turned towards his final opponent. There was no doubt that this beast was the Alpha. Along with its larger exoskeleton and massive height, the Alpha creature had silently stayed its distance, observing the small human as it slaughtered its kin. It still had its massive leg on top of its latest kill, placing its weight on the carcass carelessly. Ken stored his rifle and brought out his clawed gauntlet in his right hand and his Super Sledge in his left. He was going to show this bastard who was boss, and he was going to do it in style.

The Alpha let out a deafening howl, shaking the trees in the area and causing the rubble in the clearing to tremble. It locked its evil red eyes on the inferior being and cocked its weight onto its hind legs. The giant wolf creature waited a moment, as if letting its target prepare itself, and launched forwards, snarling loudly as it did.

Ken sprinted towards the massive beast, readying his massive sledge for an uppercut attack. When the two met in the middle of the clearing, Ken launched his attack at his foe. The Alpha parried with its right claw and brought down its left vertically towards his head. Ken used the momentum of his blocked attack to swing himself in a circle and meet the giant claw with his Super Sledge. The Alpha's claw recoiled off the massive blow, pulling it backwards. The beast quickly brought back its right claw in a horizontal strike, only to be met with another giant claw that rivaled its own.

Ken cackled loudly at the sight of his own claw colliding with his opponent's. _'It's like an evil high five!'_

The creature was wide open. Ken brought the top of his massive device straight into the beast's gut, causing it to bend over. Ken then shot his clawed creation straight up into his opponents chin, sinking the razor sharp finger tips straight through the black flesh. He felt the vibrations travel down his arm as it cried out in pain. Ken yanked on the creature's skull, bringing it down to the ground while he simultaneously freed his hand. Ken spun again on his heel and planted one final blow straight into the base of the skull of his defeated opponent, the satisfying _crunch_ making him smile.

_'And that's five.'_

Ken's adrenaline was still pumping in his veins. He climbed on top of the dead creature as his animalistic instincts took over his mind. He raised his arms high and looked up into the sky. His chest bubbled with emotion and his head felt red hot.

He let out an ear splitting war cry that trembled the leaves and broke the water in the forest.

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**A/N: Hello again! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I won't lie, I feel like I could've done better with the fight scenes, but I'll be doing my best on the next ones. Anyway, I have a few things I wanted to say. **

**First of all, a big THANK YOU to everyone who has favorited and followed this story. I'm surprised to see people are actually ****_reading _****this and liking it enough to follow. I'll do my best to keep you guys happy! **

**Second, thank you to everyone who has left me a review and questions. Your feedback is valuable to me. I started writing this story just for my own pleasure, but when I saw how respectful people can be on here and how much stories had improved just by feedback, I decided to share it on here and see what people think. I'm so sorry if I'm putting in cliches and anything that has already been overdone and driven into the ground, but this is how I wrote my story. I am not necessarily trying to be original. I won't delete any reviews simply because I disagree with them. Heck, I didn't even know I could delete them! **

**Woo, that's a load of my chest! Anyway, don't forget to favorite and follow! Please leave me review and let me know what you think. I LOVE reviews! Any constructive criticism is ****_always _****appreciated.**

**Thanks again everyone and I will see you guys next time!**

**Kind regards,**

**Just another fan.**

**P.s.- I started reading "All or Nothing." It's good! I myself never finished the Mass Effect games and the crossover itself isn't really my cup of tea, but it is really a good read and I plan on finishing it. Check it out!**


	6. Chapter 5: The Lone Wanderer

**A/N: Hey everyone! Here's another update! Sorry if it feels short. Real quick announcement: I am going to be out of town this week and I may not be able to update this Wednesday. :/ I will still try my damnedest though! Anyway, hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

**Kind regards,**

**Just another fan.**

* * *

_Chapter 5: The Lone Wanderer_

'_Gun fire. To the north. Approximately fifty miles out.' _Blake's sharp ears picked up on the small details of the sound, her experience informing her of a close estimate to the extra variables. She continued listening, the ears on the top of her head waited patiently to receive more Intel. Two more loud shots rang through the atmosphere. She confirmed her theory, also adding that it was possibly a magnum weapon due to the throaty echoes that rang as a result. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud yawn to her left.

"Geez, who the heck is squirrel hunting at this hour? Wake up the entire country why don't you?!"

Blake turned and frowned at her partner's sarcasm. "It's hardly that loud."

"Loud enough to wake me up, anyway!" Yang crossed her arms sleepily and met her partners look. "Tell me again why we're out here this early?"

Blake shook her head. "If you weren't snoozing while our leader was giving us the debriefing, you would have learned that a strange anomaly was emitting from the Forever Fall forest and that we have been sent out to investigate." Blake's face became tense when she noticed the blonde's eyelids were barely open. "Are you even listening to me?"

Yang let out a loud snort as she awoke with a start. "What?! Oh, yeah. Something about the forest being wobbly." Blake rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"Even your sister was wide awake when we started this mission."

Yang through her arms in the air. "Yeah, but she's CRAZY!"

Blake was about to respond when she heard her scroll attached to her hip make a familiar sound. She didn't have to check it. The rest of her team was in position and now it was their turn. She began walking towards the forest, motioning her partner to do the same.

"We're green. Let's go."

"Right!"

The pair jogged towards the beginning of the forest and picked up speed when they penetrated the tree line. They headed north in the direction of the gunshots. Blake hoped they wouldn't get the attention of the Grimm in the area.

Almost as if waiting for her to finish her thought, she heard a familiar _bang_ to her left. She angrily turned to her partner and saw she had jabbed her right fist straight into the gut of an Ursa, sending it crashing through the trees.

"Yang! This is supposed to be a stealth op!" Her partner caught up with her and matched her pace. "Keep it down!"

Yang shrugged. "He asked for it." She returned her partners look. "I don't get it. We're training to become Huntresses, not damn ninjas. Why do we have to be stealthy all of a sudden?" She cracked her knuckles loudly. "If I'm gonna be awake before eight in the morning, than by Dust I should either be eating pancakes or kicking some serious ass!"

Blake remembered the reason her leader gave them. "We're supposed to try and discover what the cause of the anomaly is and analyze the reactions of the Grimm to it in the local area." She noticed Yang's bored look. "We need to avoid interfering until we can figure out if the Grimm are either causing it or being drawn to it. Either way, we are here to observe and not engage."

Yang sighed in defeat. "Fiiine. We'll do it your way then."

Blake turned her attention back into the direction they were headed. Not too far in front of them a pair of Ursi were running at full speed in the same direction as they were. _'That's odd. At this distance they should be able to sniff us out. Why are they ignoring us?'_

Yang noticed the behavior herself. "Well whatever it is, we can easily start to think they're being drawn to it."

Blake nodded. "We'll see when we get there. I'll meet you and the others at the rendezvous point." Yang waved goodbye and disappeared into the forest towards her assigned post.

Blake slowed her pace when she noticed a clearing just northeast. The Ursi were headed straight into it, angrily trying to beat each other to the finish line. She noticed a third Ursa had already entered the clearing and was on its hind legs. She couldn't tell what it was trying to intimidate, so she climbed a nearby tree to get a better visual. After quietly hopping through a few more branches to get closer to the edge of the clearing, she sat down and waited patiently.

She noticed that the Ursa was joined by the others she saw moments ago. From where she was perched, she couldn't see what they were preparing to charge and when she was about to try to get closer, she heard more movement in her immediate vicinity. She decided to stay put, not wanting to get any attention in case she rustled more branches.

She heard three loud clicks coming from the edge of the floor. They sounded a bit differently than gun shots, but judging by the amount of damage the first Ursa had taken before it collapsed, she knew that its rounds were designed to tear wide holes. The remaining two Ursi charged their target, and in a mere moment, she saw a figure roll to where the monsters stood a second ago. It turned around and was immediately met with an upper claw from a Beowolf that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. The person sailed through the air and crashed into a patch of bushes. Blake was shocked by the sudden strike and immediately feared for them. She didn't see any glare of an Aura, so they may have possibly taken the hit directly. It was a few seconds before the person reappeared, stepping out of the bushes seemingly unharmed and readying their rifle.

Blake sighed in relief. He looks tough, and in one piece so far. She studied the odd looking person with curiosity. The person was a male, standing at about six feet. He was wearing an odd colored uniform. It looked almost like a onesie. Blake snickered when she was reminded of Jaune's own silly sleepwear. _'They look comfy.'_

When she looked closer, her eyes widened in surprise. She could see where the sharp claws had penetrated into his chest, blood only lightly covering the entry points. _'I see.' _She thought. _'Those pajamas have some sort of plating on the inside.'_

Blake hopped down from her perch and dashed through the trees to the stranger's opposite side. She watched the rest of the fight ensue from the shadows of the nearby trees. The person slammed a hammer-like weapon into the ground and flew over his four new enemies as they stupidly attacked him at the exact same time. When they slammed into each other, she heard a loud explosion. Two of the Beowolves collapsed.

Her instincts activated. Quickly, she moved her head as a loud _zing_ flew past her and shoved itself into a tree behind her, missing her by mere inches. Confused, she looked at what could probably have nicked her if it weren't for her keen reflexes.

A…bottle cap? She dislodged the cap from the bark with a degree of difficulty. She theorized that whatever that explosion was, this was a piece of shrapnel from it, and that it was incredibly powerful. She looked at the words printed on it and mouthed them as she read: _Nuka-Cola. _

She placed the improvised shrapnel into her pocket. She couldn't help liking the classic looking design of it and she was sure the stranger wasn't going to miss it.

She turned her attention back to the fight. She was astonished to discover that the remaining Beowolves were down, the last of which fell to its knees before collapsing into a puddle of its blood. She saw that the man was no longer holding his long lever-action rifle. Instead, she noticed he had his hammer in his left hand and what looked like a giant claw attached to his right. He was walking straight to the Alpha Beowolf, which had stayed back in anticipation that its comrades would kill the human. Blake was astonished by the foolish man's bravery. She readied herself to run out in case the man needed support, hoping that he at the very least he would appreciate the assistance.

She moved silently to the edge of the tree line, staying out of sight from the two aggressors. She watched as the mysterious man engaged the giant creature. She admired how swiftly he carried his strength as he used the momentum of his blocked attacks to his advantage. She liked his style. Although, she decided that maybe she should end this before it's too late and just as she was about to attack the Alpha from behind, she heard a loud menacing laugh coming from the stranger.

The cackle sent chills down her spine. It sounded maniacal, a bit insane. She was shocked that the giant claw attached to the man's arm had met the Alpha's in the center. It was a powerful blow, but it was the claw of the Alpha that bounced back, disengaging its guard. The man took advantage of it. He hit the Alpha in the stomach, shoving his knifed glove into the creature's chin. She saw that they had gone clean through the armored mask. He then pulled out his hand, dragging his opponent with it, and slammed his hammer into its neck, as if it had a nail poking out that needed punishing. The mysterious man wasn't done. He climbed onto the corpse of his victim, letting out a loud roar that made Blake step back in surprise. Her mind was flooded with old memories of her companions from her past, but even this stranger's strength rivaled them all. She felt the leaves tremble and a puddle next to her rippled from the loud sound. This man was powerful.

That was when she noticed his back was to her. She saw what looked like old numbers on it, weathered and old but still clung to his body proudly: 101.

The young man climbed down from the corpse. He was breathing heavily, staring straight ahead as if trying to burn down the forest with his eyes. Blake watched him in anticipation. So far, she has learned that whoever this person is doesn't belong here, and where he was from has taught him to be a ruthless killing machine.

The man suddenly turned in Blake's direction and shrunk into an aggressive stance. Blake froze. _'Did he spot me?'_ She scrambled ideas in her mind, trying to come up with a way to show the stranger she meant no harm. She raised her palms and prepared to step away from her shadow when she heard a familiar growl behind her. She swiftly dropped and rolled to her left into cover, just in time to see an Ursa Major lunge past her. Again, the monster seemed to take no notice of her. Instead, it was focused on the man in blue, almost as if it were drawn to it. _'This man must be the cause of the unrest here' _she concluded.

"Oh, good! I was just warming up!" The man let out another menacing laugh as the giant Ursa roared in anger.

She snuck up behind the creature just as it rose to its full height, blocking her view of the clearing. She unsheathed Gamble Shroud from behind her back. She couldn't help but smile in excitement. _'This guy's gonna love this.'_

She swung her weapon towards the creature, twirling it around its neck and jabbing the collapsed blade deep into its trachea. Unable to scream, the monster instinctively reached for its neck. Blake yanked on her strong chain-like ribbon, commanding her weapon to return to her. It complied, tightening its grip on the furry neck and finally tearing through it, causing the head to pop clean off. The disembodied limb rolled towards the feet of the stranger, who was confused at what he just witnessed.

The body fell to the ground. Blake stood behind it while she caught her weapon and sheathed it. She walked towards the man in the center with a smile on her face, hoping that the stranger would find that she wasn't hostile.

She was also met with a smile. Except it was the smile of the barrel of a .44 magnum.

She stopped dead in her tracks. She cursed under her breath. _'Not what I was expecting.'_

"Please relax. I am not your enemy." She was met with silence, the stranger not moving an inch. She noticed his previous weapons had disappeared. She looked around to see if he had dropped them anywhere, but couldn't find anything that would suggest that was the case. She raised her arms and showed him her palms.

"Who are you?" Again, no response. She frowned. She tried to think of something that would get an answer. She decided to try her partner's infinite wisdom.

"I, uh, like your pajamas."

The stranger cocked an eye brow. _'Ah, Dust.'_ she scowled, _'Why on Remnant would that even work?'_

More silence. Blake studied the man in detail. He was young, maybe around her age. He had jet black hair and equally colored eyes. His skin was a generous brown and looked almost as if he were in the sun for a very long time. His jaw was square and his chin was broad. She then noticed the scars, cringing a bit at the sight. A long crevice tore through his strong face from his right temple across his nose, ending near his left cheek bone. A few more lighter scratches accompanied it, but seemed insignificant to the large mark. She saw a cut above his left eyebrow that looked fresh but seemed to have appeared long before his encounter with the Grimm, seeing as the remains of white cloth hung on the dry blood.

Blake sighed. This man has seen some serious shit and she understood his reluctance to answer and drop his guard. But their time was limited. She took on a serious face, her amber eyes looking deep into his.

"You don't know where you are, do you?"

The man looked back at her. He shook his head slowly. _'Good, he can understand me.'_

"Look, I'm sure you have a lot of questions. I want to help you. But right now, we don't have much time." She paused and waited for a response.

"Why?"

Blake hesitated. His voice was deep and vibrant. Even though he only said one word, it was enough to stun Blake for a moment as she pondered the unexpected question.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Why do you want to help me?"

Blake cocked her head to the side in curiosity. Was he serious? Why wouldn't she help him? It's what she's training to become. A Huntress is someone who helps people. She smiled widely.

"Because that's what I do. I help when needed."

"And what makes you think I need help?"

This made Blake lose her patience. "You said you're not from here, right? Well, that already puts you in an awkward position. Plus, you look exhausted from battling these monsters and I assume you want to get away from here before anymore come to eat your lead. My team is waiting for me just a few miles away from here and if you're willing to join me, I'm going to meet with them there and we can all get out of here." She took a deep breath.

"Blake."

The man took a second. He looked into the amber eyes of the young lady in front of him, looking for any signs of deception. He found none. He lowered his weapon slowly, spinning it in his hand before placing it in its holster.

"Ken."

Blake smiled, relaxing her arms. "Ken, a pleasure. Care to join me for a stroll?"

The expression on Ken's face relaxed a bit. He nodded. "You lead, I follow."


	7. Chapter 6: Team RWBY

**A/N: Hey guys! OH MY GOD it's been forever! I was in Austin, TX (yoou guessed it, RTX!) and I was so booked throughout the week. I'm so sorry to keep you guys waiting. I will try and update again on Sunday to make amends, but I will update by next Wednesday for sure. Anyway, here is the next chapter! As always, please leave me a review and don't forget to follow and favorite. I love you people! I hope you enjoy it!**

**Kind regards,**

**Just another fan.**

* * *

_Chapter 6: Team RWBY_

Ken cursed to himself. _'I don't even know who this person is, let alone where I am, and I'm already trusting her?' _He scowled. _'What the HELL am I thinking?!'_

Ken shook the thought from his mind. The girl who called herself Blake had a point. He could use all the help he could get.

They were running north through the trees, Blake matching his pace in an effort to not leave him behind. He was slow, mostly due to exhaustion. Ken frowned as he felt his legs begin to numb. That last battle with the Alpha Furry Deathclaw left him weak and with very little energy reserved. He pulled out a bottle labeled _Buffout_ from his inventory and tossed a single tablet into his mouth. He crunched it loudly as the pill turned powdery and entered his bloodstream. He immediately felt the chemicals begin to work on his anatomy, sending signals to his brain and tricking it into thinking he had more strength than he did. Ken groaned loudly at the bitter power.

Blake watched him as he ate the mysterious substance. "Are you okay?"

"Fine", Ken grumbled, "Where exactly are your friends?"

Blake pointed ahead. "We're almost there. The lake is just up ahead."

Ken grimaced at her words. _'And on top of that, I'm fucking back tracking.'_

When the pair entered his spawn point, Ken stopped at the edge of the lake. He looked deep inside, studying his reflection in the rippling liquid. He remembered the feeling he had when he first crashed into it. Peace. Until his damn survival instincts had kicked in, he finally had felt peace.

Blake walked up to the carcass of Ken's first kill. She looked at its torso and neck and counted six entry points: four in the torso and two in the neck. She looked over to the man in blue and noticed his unease.

"This must be where you woke up, I take it?"

Ken looked over from the edge of the lake. "What gave it away?"

Blake smiled at him. "Not much, just the way you looked at this place when I pointed it out." She gestured towards the dead Beowolf. "Is this the first Grimm you killed?

Ken's confusion wasn't helped by the new term. "Grimm?"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "You do know what these creatures are, don't you?"

Ken shook his head. Blake was about to give him a history lesson when suddenly a series of shotgun blasts emitted from the east side of the forest. Ken immediately recognized them as identical to the one he had heard that morning. Before Ken had turned to look with his Blackhawk raised high, he swore he thought he saw the black bow on top of Blake's head twitch slightly in reaction to the sound.

Blake slowly made her way over to him. "Relax, those blasts are friendly." She giggled when she realized the irony in her sentence and couldn't resist when she saw his confused face. _'Priceless!' _she thought.

A bright flash burst through the tree line. Ken was startled at the sight and stumbled back. The figure of what looked like a yellow woman in flames was the cause of it, and he was astonished at the incredible speed she was engaged in. She sped by them, waving in Blake's direction.

"Hi Blake! We really need to go, there's Grimm everywhere! Bye Blake!" She ripped through the opposite side of the clearing in the direction of the cliff.

"Ken, let's go!" Blake turned and followed her yellow partner.

Ken was confused at the sudden scene. _'What the hell just happened?'_ He could hear a thunderous roar coming from the trees. _'Shit.'_ Ken turned on his heel and followed the strange duo into the forest.

He could see them up ahead, the distance between them slowly growing longer as he tried to keep up.

"Does EVERYTHING around here travel at the speed of damn light?!" he shouted angrily. He wasn't expecting an answer and he saw that the two girls had finally stopped not too far away. When he finally caught up to them, the group was at the edge of the cliff he had spotted earlier. He stopped and placed his hands on his knees, struggling to catch his breath.

"I. Don't. I. Gah!"

Yang looked at her partner with an annoyed expression. "Who's the new guy?"

Blake placed a supportive hand on his back. "His name is Ken, and he seems lost. We should bring him to Ozpin as soon as we can." She looked up at her companion. "Where's Ruby and Weiss?"

Yang looked over at Blake with a skeptical look on her face. "They're on their way." As Ken finally stood up, she turned her attention to him. "So, why the pajamas?" She laughed when she saw his face had turned red and flapped his arms angrily.

"THEY'RE NOT PAJAMAS!"

Yang only laughed louder at Ken's reaction. Ken was visibly furious now as he lost his patience for the blonde perpetrator. Blake let a slight smile slip out before she brought herself back to reality.

"That's enough you two! We got big problems on our hands!"

The two looked over at Blake and gave her a quizzical look. It was then that they heard the growls growing louder as they headed towards them. Ken aimed his scope to get a better view of what was headed their way.

His eyes widened when he looked at the large amount of creatures. These Grimm, as the mysterious women had called them, looked much smaller than their cousins. There were dozens of them, all charging angrily towards the trio. Before Ken could pin point a weak spot, he saw the creatures had begun to change shape. They tucked their heads into their bellies, spinning wildly and were picking up speed, looking like razor sharp saw blades that had lost control.

"Boarbatusks!" Blake yelled over the thunderous roar of the spinning herd. "We have to jump!"

Ken struck a confused look in her direction. "You're crazy!"

Before he knew it, Blake had already disappeared and Ken felt himself being yanked backward by the collar of his neck. He tightened his grip on his revolver as if it would help him stay on the edge of the cliff as he began falling yet again.

"Ahh!" He let out an instinctual yell as he tried to think of what to do. Whoever yanked on his collar had gone their separate ways and he quickly had to come up with a strategy. He saw the rapidly revolving creatures shoot pass the lip of the cliff, squealing loudly as they plunged to their deaths. He felt his muscles move on their own and his right hand found its way to his Pip-Boy. His Deathclaw Gauntlet reappeared onto his right hand. Without thinking, he clawed at the cliff wall. The sharp claws ripped through the dirt like a hot knife through butter. He was relieved when he felt himself losing speed. Looking down, he timed his descent and jumped just before he hit the ground. A bit too early.

"Oof!" He landed like a ton of bricks. He got up onto his feet, shaking off the pain, and looked around for his new companions. What he saw made him freeze in place in disbelief.

He found that the two girls had engaged a new group of Grimm at the foot of the cliff. He also found that they were attacking the creatures with a brute force and incredible speed he had never witnessed before. Ken stood in awe as he watched Blake jump in the air and swing her chained sickle-like weapon all around her like a powerful hurricane, slicing clean through a few of the monsters swiftly. He also saw that the girl in yellow was punching what looked like forearm-length golden bracelets into the faces of the monsters, each impact resulting in an explosion of a shotgun shell into the thick hides. He still stood stunned and watched as the girls tirelessly and effortlessly subdue their opponents, the last few already about to be taken out. _'I see,'_ Ken concluded, _'these ladies must be trained to kill these things.'_

He was brought back to reality when he noticed Blake was caught by a blow from one of the three remaining Ursa. He noticed that her sickle had been replaced with a long single bladed sword, one she lifted up in attempt to defend herself. She was knocked back onto her back and Ken became concerned when she was slow to move. _'Okay, maybe they're still in training.' _His mind immediately formed a plan and Ken grinned when he saw his opportunity to show what he's made of. The Ursa raised its paw high, readying a finishing blow to its enemy.

"Hey ugly!" He bellowed. The Ursa stopped in its tracks and turned its head towards Ken, letting out a questioning whine. Blake took advantage of her time and silently jumped away. Ken typed a command into his wrist and turned on his heel for dramatic effect, planting his right knee into the ground. On his shoulder, his largest weapon in his arsenal appeared, glowing green as the materialization process was near completing. He let out a playful laugh.

Miss Launcher has come out to play.

"CATCH!" He pulled the trigger and felt the power of his weapon push itself up slightly. Ken calculated the arch perfectly: the missile headed straight for his target. He watched the projectile soar into the air and was surprised to see that the Ursa actually complied and caught it in midair with its large mouth. It growled loudly as its two friends came close. Ken laughed again. '_Like ferals in a barrel_'.

The missile exploded. The warhead of the munition blew its captor's head into pieces and the extra fuel in its tail took care of the rest. Nothing was left in their place except for blood and burnt fur.

Ken began to load another round, first taking note of how many more times he can feed Miss Launcher. _'3 more. Better use 'em wisely.'_

Just as he dropped the weapon's snout and was about to drop another missile into it, two more Ursi appeared in front of him. _'Shit!' _He instantly panicked when he noticed he wouldn't have enough time to either get enough distance to avoid the explosive radius of his current weapon or switching to another. _'I'm pinned!'_

As he was preparing for the worst, a bright explosion came from above. Almost like a lightning bolt, something struck the ground in between the two monsters and giant shards of ice erected around them. The creatures were effectively frozen in place and before Ken could find the cause of the sudden attack, a red flash appeared in front of him, followed by a riddle of rose petals.

"Take THAT!" declared a high pitched voice. The heads of the Grimm practically popped off when a large, curved blade sliced them off in one clean blow. Ken took this chance to materialize his trusty plasma rifle. Sweeping the area and noting the coast was clear, he looked around to see who had saved his life.

He saw a small girl in a red hood just to his right, still in her stance after engaging her attack. She got up and rested her massive weapon on her shoulder, a weapon Ken had never actually seen before. The weapon was almost twice the size of its wielder. It was a large staff with a hooked blade at the top and was razor sharp by the look of it. He was reminded of a book he once read a while back that described an entity named the Grim Reaper that carried a weapon like it. '_How fitting'_ he thought.

He looked in the direction of the still planted ice. He was shocked to see a very pale girl rise up from in between the ice peaks and pull out what looked like a silver rapier from the ground. She looked up, locking her light blue eyes with the Lone Wanderer. She frowned at the sight of the stranger.

Suddenly, the girl in red appeared in front of him in a flurry of the same petals. He looked down at the small person, flinching at her sudden appearance. She was beaming at the potentially new friend with her hand outstretched and her back straight like an arrow.

"Whoa! How did you-"

"Hello there! My name's Ruby!" Ken looked at her a moment before slowly shaking the small hand.

"Uh, Ken."

Ruby shook his hand firmly, surprising the Lone Wanderer with her strength.

"Ruby! Don't be stupid! We don't know who that is!" The girl in the white dress had come up behind the girl she was calling to. She still had her look of disgust for the man and kept her distance before Ruby turned to her.

"Well, I do know! He seems nice!" She turned and looked at Ken apologetically. "Don't mind Weiss, she's just looking out for her team."

"No harm done." replied Ken, although reluctantly. He returned his new nemesis' stare. "I'd probably do the same."

It was now that Ken noticed that all of these girls seemed to have a unique color scheme. Black, yellow, red, and white. They all seemed fascinated by Ken's set up themselves, all in their own way of course. The yellow girl named Yang approached him first.

"Now that we're not very close to being eaten, let me introduce myself. I'm Yang, Ruby's sister!" She paused for a moment, letting her intro sink in as she wrapped her arm around the smaller girl, who seemed quite annoyed by the tight embrace. "I take it your name is short for Kenneth?"

Ken nodded in acknowledgement. He noticed the stare of the girl in white was still burning in his direction. "I believe your name is Ice, correct?"

Weiss furiously clenched her fists and shook in anger "Its WEISS! W-e-i-s-s!" Ken sneered at the girl's reaction, only making Weiss angrier. She continued to stab Ken with her eyes when Ruby noticed her angry look and walked over to her, shaking her hand in front of her face.

"Helloo, anyone there to change the facial expressions?" Weiss swatted the hand away.

"Stop that! Who does this guy think he is anyway? And where did he come from?"

"Is this Earth?"

The four girls stopped and looked at the strange man. Blake was the first to answer.

"Is that the world you know?"

"The only one I've ever known." Ken's muscles in his forehead came closer together and the corners of his mouth formed a frown. "…this isn't Earth, is it?"

Blake slowly shook her head. Yang noticed the man's tense state and instinctively stepped in front of her younger sister. "If it makes you feel better, the place your in is called Remnant, and it's full of nice people that are willing to help you."

Ken repeated the word, tasting it with his tongue. Remnant… The strange name left a bitter taste in his mouth. He looked over as he noticed Yang's protectiveness of the smaller girl.

"I'm sure there are."

Ruby stepped out from behind her sister, jabbing her fingers into her ribs on the way and causing her to double over.

"Look, we can take you to someone that might be able to help you and I promise you we can get you there safely."

Ruby had a wide smile on her face that made Ken relax a little bit. "All we ask is that you trust us and help us get out of here. For some reason, the Grimm are collecting and we need to get back before it gets worse."

Ken felt at ease at the sound of the girl's unusually high pitched voice. Besides the girl in white, who had crossed her arms and loudly expressed her disapproval to the idea, the group seemed perfectly willing to help him survive this hell and get some answers. He nodded in agreement.

"I'm in."

"Yay!" Ruby raised her arms in victory. "We have a new friend!"

Before anyone could say anything else, a loud howling could be heard from within the forest at the foot of the cliff. Ruby turned to her teammates, a serious look on her face now.

"Well so much for our rendezvous point. Okay gang, we have to get back to Professor Ozpin. I'm sure he would like to talk to our new friend so we should take him back to Beacon. Then, we'll tell the headmaster anything we discovered on our mission. Weiss, Blake, you guys climb the wall first. Yang and I will follow. No doubt there's more Grimm at the edge of the cliff and we'll have to carve out our exit."

She turned and smiled at Ken. "Can you climb the wall, Kenny?"

Ken was taken aback by Ruby's sudden interaction with the older girls. _'Wait a minute, was this girl their captain?'_

Ken nodded and returned the small leader's smile. "Don't worry about me. I'm right behind you. And it's just Ken."

"Cool! Alright ladies! Oh, and gentleman! Let's move!"

In a split second, the black and white themed women had begun their ascent. Weiss hopped on multiple platforms in the shape of a snowflake, a shape Ken only saw in ancient literature. Blake tossed her sickled weapon into the face of cliff and climbed up the ribbon with incredible ease. He again became surprised when he saw Yang propel herself up the cliff with her gauntlets and even more so when he realized Ruby's weapon had begun firing what sounded like fifty caliber rounds. Ken suddenly remembered something else. The girl named Weiss reminded him of a story he once read, something about a princess with skin as pale as snow...

Ken shook the thought off his mind when he noticed he had fallen behind. The four girls were already half way up the cliff. He quickly materialized the chain Doc gave him from his inventory. Inspired by Blake's weapon, he attached his nifty combat knife at one of the ends. After testing its integrity, he materialized his massive claw, tossed his makeshift rope dart into the face of the cliff, and began to climb.

Ken continued his climb at a steady pace. He tossed his chained knife over the lip of the cliff and felt it wedge into the ground. Giving it a tug, he clawed the wall with his right hand and climbed the last few feet of the cliff. Just as he neared the top, he felt the knife began to slither out. His weight was already on the chain and just as he felt himself fall again, the knife resettled into the ground, causing the chain to vibrate slightly. He sighed in relief and stored his claw. As he grabbed the edge of the cliff, he saw Yang smiling down at him. Her foot was on top of the hilt of his knife as she extended her hand.

"How ya feelin', slowpoke?"

"Just dandy." He accepted the blonde's hand and felt her pull him up with some serious strength. Ken gasped at the sudden jerk. _'Note to self: don't piss this one off.'_

As he put away his chain dart, he felt the chemicals in his body begin to subside; the soreness and pain that covered his body began to reawaken. He immediately took out his last tablet of _Buffout _and ate it, praying to whatever deity existed that it would last him until they were out of this mess.

When he regained his artificial strength, he noticed the girls had taken out another large pack of Beowolves at the top and were all waiting for him patiently.

"Let's keep moving. More Grimm are coming in from the north." Ruby and the others began running back south, and Ken sincerely hoped that they were headed towards civilization.

He followed their tracks. They were incredibly fast, but Ken tried his best to keep up. The ground underneath his feet began to tremble violently. He almost lost his footing when he felt the tremors suddenly become stronger and more proficient. He looked over his shoulder to his six o'clock.

An entire stampede of the evil dark creatures were howling and snarling their way towards the small group. Fear began to enter Ken's soul as he saw how dense the pack was. Beowolves, Ursi, and Boarbatusks alike were sprinting as fast as they possibly could as they tried to close the distance between them and their mortal enemies. Ken forced himself into a full sprint, trying desperately to keep that distance. But it was no use. They were closing in. Ken desperately rattled his mind in an effort to try and improvise. _'Think, dammit! We need more time!'_

He was surprised to see Weiss moving in his direction. In fact, she was gliding directly towards him, her weapon held at the ready. Ken didn't panic. Hell, he'd rather die with a sharp sword through his heart than have those damn demons tear it out and eat it for lunch.

Instead, the ice princess passed him. As she did, he noticed she was spinning a chamber on the hilt of her weapon, causing her blade to glow a deep crimson. Weiss launched into the air and spun in a single revolution. She stabbed her rapier deep into the ground, causing the earth to shake and the ground to split. An explosion of towering flames erupted from her blade. The fire danced in a straight line, creating an immediate wall between the enraged crowd of monsters and the group. They snarled and howled in fear, chomping at each other as if blaming themselves for letting the inferior beings get away. Weiss was about to pull her weapon out and return to her evacuation when a large Ursa Major lunged through the flames and immediately attacked her. It swiped the heiress and sent her across the floor of the forest, leaving her weapon immobilized in the grass.

"WEISS!" Ken had stopped and looked in the direction of the yell behind him. The rest of the team was an incredible distance away with a lot to cover to provide back up. He immediately reacted in reflex.

The Major had already made its way towards the small girl. Weiss stood on her feet. She was shook up from the blow, but she waited for the strike to come, hopefully timing it just right to dodge and make a break for her weapon…

Before the Major could take a swing, it was met with a giant claw straight to its armored face. It staggered back, screaming in shock from the strange blow and before it regained its balance, it was met with a number of blasts of green energy to the abdomen. The creature melted away without a sound and became nothing more than a green pile of goo on the ground.

"Go!" Ken fired more plasma rounds into Grimm that had braved the wall of fire, their efforts in vain as they were met with the same fate as their leader.

Weiss was stunned. "But…"

"JUST GO!" Weiss didn't argue anymore when she heard Ken's thunderous voice. She ran towards her team who were still making their way towards the chaos.

Ken sprinted towards the fire and snagged the weapon from the ground, turning on his heel and dashed away from the mayhem. He stored his gauntlet and held Weiss' weapon in his right hand, taking his plasma rifle in his left and firing more rounds to three Grimm giving chase. They went down in a heartbeat. _'Damn,'_ he thought,_ 'would've used this if I'd a known it was super effective.'_ He glanced at his ammo count. Thirty eight rounds left. '_Okay, maybe not_.' He noticed how light the sword was in his hands. Even with the weight of the chamber at the hilt, he could feel how perfectly balanced it was. '_This weapon was made by hand_.'

His path between himself and the young girls was crossed by an Ursa that faced him and prepared to charge. He immediately lobbed the rapier at the creature's face. The long blade pierced its glowing eye and the brain behind it. As it toppled, he saw the owner of the sword immediately retrieve it out of its temporary bloody holster and give him a glare before meeting her group. Ruby and her team were now just in front of Ken and let him pass them. They ran up to the Lone Wanderer, covering his flanks as he remained in the center. This time they matched his pace, not allowing for him to fall behind yet again.

The group finally reached the end of the forest. The girls ran alongside Ken as he continued a good distance away from the edge. Finally, he slowed down, his limbs swaying like wet noodles until he came to a full stop. He put his hands on his hips as he gasped for air.

The rest of the group was doing the same ahead of him.

"Weiss!" The crimson girl looked angrily at her partner. "Why did you do that?! You could've been killed!"

"We all could have been killed! I was buying us time. Besides, what if they didn't hesitate to follow us all the way out here?" She was out of breath too, still rocked from her earlier encounter.

Ken began to feel his power come to a minimum and the chemicals finally evaporated from his system. Ken felt exhausted, incredibly exhausted. The pain that covered his body angrily took over, reminding him of the incredible amount of damage he ensued during his recent nightmare. Ruby became concerned when her new friend clutched his ribs and groaned loudly in pain. She cautiously stepped towards him, as if afraid her presence would cause more harm should she come too close.

"Kenny?" she said softly, "You okay?"

Ken grinned as a drop of blood ran down his eye from his freshly open cut. "Oh yeah." His deep voice sounded tired and depleted. "Just do me a favor, won't you Ruby?"

"Sure Kenny! Anything! What is it?" Ruby was incredibly worried now. Ken dropped to his knees as his body went critical.

"Bribe the doctor." He was out cold before his face hit the unforgiving ground.


	8. Chapter 7: Beacon

**A/N: Hey guys! It's Wednesday again! Holy crap! I just want to say something real quick before today's chapter. I know I've been saying I would update more than once a week if possible, but it looks like I may only be able to pull off an update every Wednesday. So sorry if I got your hopes up, but I'm being honest. I became a little worried at the quality of the story I have written so far, so right now I stopped making more content for it and I'm focusing on making what I have now work a little better. I have some cool stuff planned, and I'm sure you may pick up on a few hints at the end of this chapter. Once again, _thank you _to everyone who is supporting me on this crazy journey. You guys FUCKING ROCK! Keep those reviews coming! Now, I'll stop ranting and let you guys read this week's chapter! Enjoy!**

**Kind regards,**

**Just another fan.**

**EDIT: Ladies and Gents. I made a mistake. Many of you probably picked up on it, and if you did, kudos. Thought after much internal debate, I decided it would be best if I went ahead and changed something. It won't affect the plot too much, nor the next few chapters. But trust me when I say, its for the best. Shout out to neterlan for catching it! Anyway, I'll see you Wednesday! **

* * *

_Chapter 7: Beacon_

_It was your mother's favorite passage…_

_She was…beautiful…_

_"Dad! What's going on?!"There was a huge explosion that knocked Ken against the glass. A yellow gas filled the chamber, causing the people inside to choke and trigger his Geiger counter to shout in warning. James staggered towards his child, clutching his neck as it began to swell. Ken was speechless and couldn't hold back the tears as he witnessed the scene. He had his face pressed against the glass and his hands were clawing at it trying desperately to get through. The father placed his own hand where his son's was and breathed out his final words._

_"Run."_

_"Dad! No!"_

_"RUN!"_

* * *

"Dad!"

Ken woke up screaming at the top of his lungs. He was immediately greeted with a violent pain that ripped at his chest and every other inch of his body. He caught his breath and relaxed his muscles in an attempt to make the pain subside. After a few seconds, it finally did and he was actually satisfied to feel only soreness covering every single muscle in his body. Even though he literally couldn't move it meant he was, by some miracle, still alive and in one piece.

He heard footsteps clicking hastily towards him. His vision slowly focused when he saw a smiling face looking down on him. He could tell she was an older lady by the wrinkles on her face and by her bushy gray hair which comically seemed to stick out in every direction possible. She wore a pair of spectacles on her nose and he could see her beady black eyes magnified through the thick lenses.

"~Mooorning sweeetyy~!" she sang lightly. She held up a plastic cup with a straw sticking out of it. "Here, would you like some water?"

Ken felt his lips part. He didn't realize how thirsty he was and tried to sit up to accept the offer but immediately winced when he felt the pain return. The old lady placed her hand on his chest.

"Easy there, young one! I'll bring it to you!" Ken was relieved when she slipped the straw in his mouth and gently pushed his jaw closed with her fingers. He sipped slowly, drinking the sweet nectar that tasted as if it was from the heavens themselves.

The old lady chuckled when Ken drank the last drop. "There we go, much better!" She placed the cup on a table next to him. "Okay, you need more rest now. You're body needs to recover a little while longer!"

"Can't…" Ken struggled to say something to the old lady, but she laid a withered finger on his lips.

"Ah ah ah! I don't want to hear it, young man! You need your sleep!" She noticed the worried look on his face, and smiled to try and soothe him. "Don't worry, you're safe. I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

Ken felt at peace at the old lady's words. He knew she meant them and made an effort to thank her as he slowly slipped back into a deep sleep.

* * *

When Ken opened his eyes again, he was relieved to discover the soreness had slightly subsided. He slowly turned his head to the right where he remembered seeing the old lady place his cup. It was still there, only he also saw he was attached to a bag full of a clear liquid that hung just above it. Ken recognized it as an I.V. and concluded he must be in a hospital of some sorts. Learning from his earlier mistake, he moved his muscles slowly and tested their performance. They were still raw and beaten, but the pain was bearable. He slowly sat up in his bed and began noting his surroundings.

The room he was in was a soothing white color. The black and white tile floor shined sparkly clean and reflected the warm yellow lights in the ceiling. Across from him he could see a row of beds lined against the wall; all empty of people but had plenty of pillows. He looked down on himself and noticed he wasn't wearing his jumpsuit. In fact, he wasn't wearing anything at all besides his underwear and a light gray hospital gown. He then realized he was in one of the beds himself and saw he had a few pillows of his own set underneath his head. He couldn't help but notice how extremely comfortable he was. He had never lain in a bed like this before and he had begun to hatch plans on stealing as many of the poofy objects as possible when he heard a voice to his left that made him jump.

"Comfortable, aren't they?"

Ken looked over at the owner of the voice. He saw an older looking man sitting next to him in a wooden chair. He wore a dark green suit and a vest of the same color with gold buttons. A lighter green scarf covered his neck and Ken noticed what looked like a cross pinned to its center. The silver haired man gave Ken a small smile.

"Sometimes, I find myself in this place when no one is around and I'll just lay in that bed over there in the corner." The man chuckled. "I'll even take a few pillows from the other beds."

Ken raised an eyebrow. The man's voice was calm and collected, almost as if he had used it many times in previous lives. He was charismatic and sagacious Ken could tell, so he decided to tread carefully and not let the man outwit him.

"I'm sure they'd let you stay if you made it worth their while."

The man chuckled at the response. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy." His light brown eyes looked over the dark lenses on his nose and into Ken's. "I believe your new friend Ruby may have made mention of me?"

Ken recalled the name and nodded. "Yes, she did. She said you could help me." He noticed Ozpin continued looking at him even as he took a sip from a white mug. "Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Ken. Kenneth Ramirez."

The headmaster seemed pleased with the young man's manners. "Mr. Ramirez, it is a pleasure to meet you. Even in these…strange circumstances." He noticed Ken's face tense when he remembered everything that happened. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but know that you are safe within these walls and you may take as much time as you need before asking them."

Ken shifted in his bed. He scooted backwards and placed a pillow on the small of his back as he rested against the headboard. "Thank you, Mr. Ozpin, but I think I've waited long enough." He watched as the man took another sip from his mug. This time, Ken spotted a logo on the side of it. Two crossed axes on what looked like a round shield. The design was simple, but Ken's curiosity was piqued nonetheless.

Ozpin set down his mug on a night stand. "Very well. I will answer what I can and I hope to be of some help."

Ken asked what seemed like a thousand questions. What was Remnant? Was it a planet? Or was it a country on Earth that was never mapped in the encyclopedias he read? What was Beacon Academy? And where the hell was he and how long was he out for? He stopped himself when he noticed he was rambling and hoped he hadn't scared the man away, but he discovered that he was simply listening and sipping the contents of his mug peacefully. Ozpin took the second he was given and answered the young man's questions in the order he asked them, adding onto a few as he went.

Ken has learned so far that Remnant was indeed its own planet and was much like his Earth in many ways. He learned that this world was currently thriving and was in a time of peace. There was a war a long time ago, but it was not at all like the war that tore his planet apart. However, this place, as beautiful as it was, had a plague of its own. The creatures of Grimm were a darkness that had been trying to kill mankind since his existence and even in this time of peace, they remained an imminent threat. Ken was fascinated when the headmaster began to speak about Dust and its many different uses and how it has given the people of Remnant a second chance to prove themselves worthy. That was when he began to learn about Beacon and many other institutions across Remnant. In fact, that was where they currently were and Ken was in its infirmary and had been unconscious for about four days. As the man had said in his intro, he was the headmaster of Beacon and was in charge of its operation. These schools were designed to train people called Hunters and Huntresses, people that have sworn their lives to protect their world from the evil demons. Some time went by and when he had mostly answered the questions Ken had asked, the headmaster asked a question of his own.

"Do you have any idea how you entered this world?"

Ken held his chin in thought. "I was searching for a machine that was theoretically a weapon and somehow I must have activated it." He shook his head as he thought hard about the details. "I'm pretty sure that it must have opened some type of…portal."

Professor Ozpin hummed in thought. "Tell me your story, Mr. Ramirez. That is of course, if you are willing to share it."

Ken's eyes locked with the headmaster's. "There's not much to tell, really."

"I'm sure that's not at all true." The headmaster took another sip of his mug. "We all have our own stories. However, it is usually the most humble souls that always believe their stories are insignificant when in fact, those are the stories that change the world forever."

Ken was stunned by the man's words. To say he was wise was…well, Ken was starting to believe that it was an understatement.

Ken took a deep breath. "Well, alright then. I don't know where to start."

"Perhaps the beginning would do well?"

Ken laughed. "You might want to strap in then, old man. Because to understand my story, we have to go all the way back to the beginning."

The headmaster smiled. "I have time."

* * *

Ken had told the headmaster everything to his knowledge, trying his best to not overdo the details. He told him his planet was called Earth and that it was once also just as beautiful as Remnant. But he began the story of the Resource Wars. Earth was running out of natural resources. Oil wells ran dry and the governments began squabbling over the scraps. His world then rediscovered the power of the atom and began greedily using it as if it was necessary for everyday survival. Nuclear energy was efficient but it was slowly killing the planet and the people on it with its deadly side effect: radiation. The headmaster nodded when he heard the term. Radiation was not something alien to Remnant at all. It was a natural phenomenon that occurred across the globe deep underground that was part of the process of creating Dust. It was indeed dangerous, but with the right precautions it can be nothing to worry about. But it seems that the humans of Earth began using it to create weapons and technology, and inevitably brought themselves to their own doom.

On October 23, 2077, fire rained from the sky as the Great War began and ended in a mere two hours. The nuclear warheads destroyed everything in the blink of an eye, killing billions of people and demolishing civilization in one fell swoop. Anything that survived was either killed by the fallout or was horribly mutated. Ken went on to explain that not everything on the planet died that day. A company called Vault Tec had created a series of underground havens that were designed to withstand the worst destruction imaginable. They sealed their doors when the sirens howled the end of civilization, housing thousands of people that would soon be humanity's best hope to continue on. This turned out to be a lie. The evil company had originally designed the vaults to conduct horrible experiments, justifying that it was necessary to learn important fallacies in society in order to prevent them when they began rebuilding the world. Two hundred years later, Ken was born in a vault only to discover that even that was a lie. His father James entered Vault 101 with him as an infant and the vault Overseer forced the oldest generation and witnesses to keep the opening of the steel door a secret.

One day, Ken discovered that his father had escaped and left to try and reawaken the dream of Ken's mother. Ken inevitably followed him after discovering that the Overseer would take drastic measures to keep the vault sealed forever. When he left his home, he explained that he entered the remains of Washington D.C., the capital of the once great and powerful United States of America. He endured hardships of the hell of the Capital Wasteland, but he kept his father's teachings at heart. He helped write a survival guide that made a huge impact in the wasteland, helped make a difference with the fight against a mutated race called the Super Mutants, and even freed many slaves from a savage place known as the Pitt. He became a legend in the wasteland, becoming known to many as the Lone Wanderer and some even went on to call him a sort of messiah

Ken's eyes began to water when he told the headmaster about Project Purity and how it was designed to provide clean water to the people of the wasteland. He told him how his father made a sacrifice to save the project from falling into enemy hands and left him…alone. Even after all this, a faction known as The Brotherhood of Steel assisted the Lone Wanderer in fighting the so called Enclave and regained control of the purifier. The battle took its toll and even left Ken with very little in his own arsenal. He barely had any ammo or supplies afterwards. Ken had stepped into the chamber which was still highly irradiated from his father's sacrifice and activated the facility successfully. With the amount of radiation in the chamber, he was supposed to die immediately. Instead, he was given a second chance at life and was going to begin helping the Brotherhood distribute the water once he had fully recovered. He then explained the assignment given to him by Elder Lyons which brought him to the portal device, and now he was here.

Ken looked at his Pip-Boy and was astonished to see the time. It was well past 2000 hours and it was already dark outside. The headmaster was here around late afternoon and he was still here next to him listening quietly to his story. Ken yawned. He was getting quite tired. Ozpin stood on his feet and addressed the young man before he left.

"That was an incredible tale, Mr. Ramirez. No doubt your experiences have left you well prepared. I will leave you so you may rest. It seems your appearance here may indeed be a blessing after all."

Ken suddenly gloomed at a thought. "Yeah, but a curse for the people of the wasteland."

The headmaster looked at Ken curiously. "What do you mean?"

Ken looked up at the kind professor. "Once word spreads that I've disappeared, the people of the wasteland that are notorious for being violent will no doubt reorganize and try to take control." He thought for a second. "Well, at least the ones that I haven't shot, anyway."

The headmaster sighed. "You told me that your reputation was somewhat of the highest regard and the people there looked up to you indefinitely." He paused. "No doubt will the people you crossed paths with and the companions that walked yours with you will begin to fend for themselves, and begin to build a better place in your honor."

Ken's eyes opened wide in excitement. "You really think so?"

The headmaster began to walk towards the door, facing away from Ken and picking up a cane he had set against the wall. "Never underestimate the power of kindness, Mr. Ramirez. One kind gesture has the power to reshape society." He walked out of the infirmary, leaving Ken to digest the knowledge they exchanged and continue his rest. He was going to need it.

* * *

The next morning, Ken was helped out of bed by the kind old lady. He learned her name was Nurse Sunflower and she was in charge of the school's infirmary. He also learned she was very tiny: four feet, eleven inches, to be exact. She beamed at the young man when he had asked politely, but to Ken's surprise, she was holding him up with a strength he certainly didn't expect. _'Holy crap'_, he thought to himself, _'are all the women here incredibly strong?'_

"Your body is recovering incredibly quickly!" Nurse Sunflower squeaked. "I am astounded at the rate your body is healing!"

"I guess living in a wasteland does have some benefits." Ken smiled at the little old lady's soft voice. Despite her small stature she housed an incredibly large heart, and Ken couldn't help being reminded of Agatha, the old lady who rewarded him with his most prized weapon.

After a little practice, Ken was able to move on his own. Nurse Sunflower watched endearingly as the young man moved at a brisk pace across the infirmary. He explored the large chamber, activating his Pip-Boy to map it and log his journey. He went over to the window and looked out the clean, grand barrier. The sight was nothing short of beautiful. Birds happily sang as they crossed the view and Ken could see pollen from the trees flying through the wind towards the bright green grass. He could tell the building he was in was near the edge of a great cliff that had a waterfall flowing off of it. Ken took a deep breath as he took in the scene and looked in a different direction. He could see the very forest he escaped from very far away and remembered collapsing at its edge. Realizing the distance, he concluded that someone probably had to carry him the rest of the way and immediately felt terrible for whoever had to. Even with his relatively light inventory, he was still quite heavy and with his arsenal adding a couple extra pounds to his person, he must have weighed about the same as a pack Brahmin that just ate lunch.

The door to the infirmary opened and Ken turned to look. He was comforted with the sight of Ruby's smile as she skipped towards him, excited to see her newest friend up and about. She was followed by Blake who was walking with a book in front of her face, and Yang and Weiss stayed near the door. Yang waved at Ken and he waved back, but Weiss stayed just inside the door with her arms crossed, refusing to make eye contact with him and was fuming indefinitely.

Ruby ran up to Ken and embraced him in a tight squeeze. Ken gasped painfully at the small girl's strength and tried to pull away.

"Ow! Ruby…please…stop!" He gasped desperately. Ruby realized what she did and jumped back.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! Are you okay? I can-"

"It's okay, Ruby." Ken rubbed his tender ribs and breathed slowly. "I'm happy to see you too. It's good to see you all made it out alive."

Ruby grinned widely at the young man. "Thanks to you, we did!" She looked over at Weiss. She seemed a little more relaxed at the moment but when she made eye contact with her leader, she tightened her arms and turned away her gaze with a loud _hmph!_

"Well thanks to you ladies I'm still in on piece." Ken smiled tenderly in Weiss' direction. She didn't notice the expression at all, too busy fuming again. Ken turned to the red girl.

"So, any idea why those Grimm were desperately trying to eat us?"

Ruby shook her head. "Not yet. Professor Ozpin said he'd look into it, but so far we have no leads." She beamed again.

"Well that's unfortunate. Hey, any idea where my jumpsuit is?" He looked over at Blake who was still reading her book. She lowered it from her face and looked up at Ken over the top.

"It's being repaired at the school's armory." She raised her book again to hide a smirk than snuck its way to her lips. "Don't worry, your pajamas will be up and running again in no time."

"Why do you people INSIST on calling them pajamas?!" Now Ken was the one fuming as the rest of the room began to laugh. Even Weiss couldn't hold back a snicker at the sight of the man jumping up and down, as if trying to crush a Radroach at his feet. "It's a Vault 101 armor plated jumpsuit!"

While the rest of the room continued to mock him, Ken looked at his Pip-Boy and looked at what apparel he had available. He frowned when he noticed he only had one option. _'No way am I wearing THAT clunky thing around this place.'_

Before he knew it, Ruby was jumping up and down and was trying to get a better view of his nifty device. She pried at his arm and squeaked loudly in excitement.

"What is that? Is it a weapon? Ooo, it's so shiny! Does it turn into a giant gun?! What does it do?! Tell me tell me tell me!"

Ken tried to pry away from Ruby's grasp again as he raised his arms high to avoid the jumpy girl from pushing any buttons. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down Ruby! If you do I'll tell you!"

Ruby did as she was told and stepped away from Ken, her hands near her face and her eyes were glistening excitedly. Ken took a deep breath and put out his left forearm for the room to see. Yang and Weiss had taken a step forward to get a better look, and even Nurse Sunflower perked up in curiosity. Ruby let out a silent _cool_ as the green screen glowed in her silver eyes.

"This here is called a Pip-Boy 3000. It was designed and modified to keep track of my status, hold any information I come across and download, and even stores any inventory and weapons I own." Ruby's expression only widened in excitement as she heard the word _weapon _in the plural.

"You mean you can hold anything you want? _Anything_?" Ruby reached out to touch one of the three red buttons on the device, but Ken pulled it back.

"Not really. It has a mass limit, and I can't go over it unless my physical abilities allow it. But I prefer to travel light, seeing as I'm already quite slow"

Yang rolled her eyes and snickered. "You can say that again!" Ken shot her a dirty look.

Blake was puzzled by the logic and asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "How does it do that? It doesn't make sense that you could hold anything physical inside that device."

Ken grinned at the girl. He was glad that the people here were much smarter than those of the wasteland, seeing how they concluded that a messiah can just simply do anything.

He tapped a few commands into the device. It responded with unique _beeps_ as he pressed the buttons and a soft _swoosh_ as he turned the dial. His right hand glowed green and a bottle labeled _Aqua Pura_ materialized in it. Ruby's eyes finally glowed in satisfaction and she raised her hands in the air in celebration.

"That. Was. So. COOL!"

Ken looked over to Blake whose jaw was at risk from dropping. Yang and Weiss were also stunned at the sudden event. Nurse Sunflower simply giggled at the girls reactions.

"This device has the capability of breaking down particles and storing them as digital information. It's very useful for storing items, but I'm sure you can figure out why it's limited." He handed the bottle to Ruby and she gratefully grabbed hold of it. She studied it with her own eyes and moved it in her hands, almost as if in denial that it exists.

Blake closed her jaw and nodded in understanding. "You cannot create or destroy mass. Therefore, the mass is all still there and as long as gravity remains a constant it will continue to weigh the same."

Ken smiled and raised his thumb in Blake's direction. "Precisely!"

"Nerd!" Yang let out a light laugh at her partner's intelligence. Blake gave her a look of disgust. "I'm just teasing you Kit-Cat!"

Weiss walked up closer to the gathering but remained a good distance away. "That still doesn't make sense. The disintegration of a physical mass is impossible, not to mention its so-called 'digitation', as well as its reassembly."

Ken sighed, but he appreciated the girl's skepticism. "It seems my world discovered a way to make it possible and had begun to develop it and test it, until…" Ken looked at his device and frowned.

"Until the bombs dropped." Ken looked up at Blake with a confused look. "Professor Ozpin told us everything."

Ken hesitated, but nodded in acknowledgment. "I myself am not entirely sure how it works, but I will say this thing has saved my ass countless times. I'm glad to have it."

Ruby handed the bottle of water back to Ken. She smiled widely when she spoke again. "Hey! I have an idea! We should go to the city and go shopping!"

Ken was surprised by the Ruby's sudden request. Weiss herself was confused, but Yang seemed to like the idea as she herself piped up and raised her fist in the air.

"Yeah! That's sounds awesome!"

"Ruby! Don't you remember we still have class today?" Weiss pointed to her scroll, a device Ken looked at curiously. "Our lunch hour ends in five minutes. We have to get back!"

Ruby sadly looked down at the ground. "Ah, phooey."

Nurse Sunflower placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's okay, sweetie. I wasn't going to let him go anyway. Say, why don't you come pick him up tomorrow? I'm sure by then he'll be nice and strong and you can take him wherever you wish!"

Ruby's excitement found its way back to her face. "Great idea!" She looked at Ken delightfully. "How's that sound Kenny?"

Ken thought about it a moment. He was alone in a completely strange world with no companions and had no idea what to expect, and he saw this as an opportunity to fix both immediate issues. "Okay, sounds good." He replied. He decided not to correct Ruby about his preferred name, seeing how she seems like the kind of girl that when she sets her mind on something, it's difficult to convince her otherwise.

"Yay! It'll be Saturday, too! We can hang out all day!" Ruby beamed at Ken once more before departing, the rest of the girls following behind. Weiss silently scolded her partner at the terrible idea, but Ruby simply ignored her. Once the group was gone, Nurse Sunflower told Ken to go back to bed and relax, which he did without question. Today's events were quite tiring, and he felt an emotion he hadn't felt in what felt like an eternity.

He was actually excited about what he might experience tomorrow. With new friends.

* * *

_Somewhere in the Capital Wasteland…_

_"Ladies and gentleman! Boys and girls! Ghouls and ghoulettes! Guuuueeesss whoooo?! That's right! Thrrreeeeee dooooogggg has RETURNED! OOOWWW! Got a lot going on in the hell hole we call a home and I'm here to report on it all as always! _

_"Remember James? Rest his soul. And his kid, Ken? Yup, the guy who saved the wasteland so many fucking times I lost count? Well, I received word that the young man has gone missing. Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't start a riot just yet! My report here says he was investigating some sort of weapon hidden in the old Vault Tec building in the DC ruins. I know, right? I wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to get to it before the Enclave could, and the kid from 101 was being as heroic as always._

_ "Oh, yeah! That's another thing! What in the flying _FUCK_ is going on with the Enclave?! Ever since they got the beat-down by our guys and gals in power armor over at the Purifier, they have been scurrying around the wasteland like a bunch of drunken mole rats looking for their mommies. But now that the Lone Wanderer has disappeared, I'm getting reports by the bucket load about large formations of vertibirds flying out west every hour. People say they're just leaving because they lost the Purifier. I say bullshit. I don't mean to scare ya, kiddies, but something's going down. And the timing? Too much of a coincidence._

_ "Ken. If you can hear my voice, please listen. We miss ya. And we're worried sick about ya. God forbid you're dead, or even worse, captured and forced to participate in that clown show they call the American government. If you can, please come home. Something big is about to go down, and I got that tingling feeling we're gonna need ya. And for the rest of you kiddos out there, remember everything I taught you. But never, _EVER_ forget what Kenneth Ramirez has taught you either. If those Enclave bastards come back, what they were doing to the wasteland is going to look like a god damn prank. Ready your weapons and organize yourselves so that you can fight back if you need to. The Brotherhood will be around too, so make sure to thank them and ask them for advice. Be ready, children. For Ken. For James._

_ "That's all I have for you today kiddos. This is Three Dog-" _[CLICK]

"For a lunatic with a microphone, I have to say, he's observant."

"You think he knows?"

"Even if he did, there's nothing he can do. He doesn't have the power he makes the people believe he does."

"I wouldn't underestimate him. Words can prove to be a thousand times more dangerous than any atomic warhead."

"Irrelevant at this point. Tell me, Augustus. Why are you here?"

"It's President Autumn to you. And I have an assignment for you."

"And the facility?"

"Stop wasting my time. That place does not exist. You do well to remember that."

The metallic chamber stayed silent for a second. The two men inside didn't even look each other in the eye throughout their conversation. The scientist stood in front of the radio he shut off, while Autumn sat on a bench against the opposite wall. An eerie creaking of old metal filled the chamber after a moment, but it didn't bother the two men at all. They were used to it.

"What exactly are you planning?"

"You will know in due time. But right now I need you to follow my orders to the letter."

"Without question?"

"Let's not start this shit again."

The man in the shadows turned to face the president. Autumn could only see the brown eyes cutting through the darkness. Though he would never admit it, the presence of this mysterious scientist made him…uneasy. He's also a nobody. He had appeared from nowhere and claimed he's loyal to the Enclave, and so far his actions have proven that true. But Autumn had this feeling in his gut. One he had learned too well not to ignore. He stood up from his seat and walked towards the only door to the chamber.

"Meet me in my office at 0600 sharp tomorrow. You will receive your debriefing then."

"Very well. Though it seems a waste to have me here now?"

Autumn grunted impatiently. This man asked too many questions.

"You will be escorted over to a local vault."

"I see." The scientist turned back to stare at the radio. "So you're finally going to wake him."

"Yes. And I-"

"You want his intelligence. Figures."

Autumn angrily opened the door and looked back at the scientist. He was infuriating.

"I'll see you in the morning, Theos."


	9. Chapter 8: Vale

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the late update, been a busy day. Thanks for your patience! HOLY CRAP, ALMOST 6,000 views?! And 38 followers?! Woo hoo! Thanks for your support people! I love you all! (No seriously, marry me). For being awesome, I made an extra long chapter, just for you! Though I will say not all of them will be like this haha. I have a few things I want to say, but I will leave it at the end of this chapter. Please enjoy!**

* * *

_Chapter 8: Vale_

Ken woke up earlier than he had planned. His Pip-Boy presented to him that the time was 0715 hours and his alarm still had forty five minutes left before it would wake him. He shut it off and sat up in his bed. The sun still had not finished rising, but it seemed to sense Ken's excitement and began lighting the infirmary through the window. Ken sat up in his bed and took a deep breath. Observing that his body seems to be only lightly sore and the pain had practically subsided; Ken slipped his bare feet onto the cold tile floor and got up.

He walked over to a large mirror near a sink at the end of the chamber and looked himself over. His cut from his encounter with the ferals before his arrival had healed and only a small mark remained. He was still wearing his gray gown and his hair had grown a little more than he usually likes it. He smiled. He remembered how a certain ghoul would gladly cut off the fresh batch of hair back in Underworld.

He heard the familiar clicking sounds of Nurse Sunflower's shoes fluttering their way towards him. "~Moooornning~!" She sounded very much awake as she sang her usual greeting. "You are up quite early! Did you get enough rest?"

Ken turned around and beamed at the tiny soul. He had logged twelve hours of rest last night, seeing how he had fallen asleep early. "More than enough."

Nurse Sunflower smiled up at the handsome man. "Excellent! It seems you have a long day ahead of you. Let's get you ready!" She disappeared into a small office next to the mirror. When she reappeared, she was holding what looked like a fresh set of clothes and a towel in her arms.

"Come with me! You need to get washed up!" She chuckled when Ken sniffed himself and looked like he was about to pass out from the horrible smell. "You need to be fresh and presentable for your pretty friends!"

Ken felt himself blush at the remark. He was glad that the nurse had already turned around and hadn't noticed his reaction. He followed her to what looked like a bathroom and she handed him the stuff she held.

"Inside the shower you'll find a bar of soap and some shampoo. Make sure you scrub your face, fingernails, and toes with the sponge too! Oh, and in that order! You don't want any nastiness from your feet to come up to your skin!" She was about to leave Ken be when she noticed his stunned look. "Sweetie? Everything alright?"

Ken looked down at the tiny lady innocently. "You have…showers? Working showers?"

Nurse Sunflower held her hands to her chest, moved by the boy's naïve question. "Oh sweetheart, did you not have those back home?"

Ken looked inside the dark room. "I haven't showered in…ages. I don't even remember the last time I did."

Nurse Sunflower gave Ken a reassuring look. "Oh, dear! Well I'm sure you don't need the full tutorial, then. Go on!" She gave Ken a soft shove into the room. She then turned and hustled away, her shoes announcing the direction she was heading.

Ken stepped inside the room and turned on the light. The room was a bit small, but it was sparkling clean. Ken closed the door behind him and set the clothes on top of the toilet tank. He took a second to admire the clean looking bathroom. It was a very appealing sight to see that the wallpaper wasn't yellow and peeling off, not to mention that the walls they were on were actually still intact. The warm beige color was much easier on the eyes, as opposed to the sickening metallic gray that was the vault's bathrooms.

He took off the little clothes he had on and hesitated when he noticed himself in the mirror. He could see the normal scars he had gained during his time in the wasteland, but it seems he had a new addition to his collection. A total of four freshly healed puncture wounds decorated his chest, and Ken was surprised to see that they looked a lot like bullet entries. He was also surprised to see that one of the wounds was directly over his heart. Looks like that old jumpsuit has saved his life yet again.

He gave the knob on the left a twist and hopped back in surprise as the scalding hot water quickly responded. He played with the settings for a bit and when he was satisfied with a warm temperature, he slipped inside.

When the rushing water began massaging the skin on Ken's face, all he could do was just stand underneath the shower head and feel the hot steam cover his skin. He has never felt so incredibly relaxed or refreshed in his life. This comes nowhere close to anything he has ever experienced. He stood there feeling spoiled as if the water was liquid gold and he was being covered with a blessing that he never even imagined he could experience.

_'This is…amazing…'_

He heard a knock at the door. "Sweetie? Everything alright? You've been in there for over an hour!"

Ken was brought back to Remnant with a start. "Oh, uh, yeah I'm fine! Almost done!"

Ken quickly did as Nurse Sunflower instructed him. After scraping and scrubbing off a few months' worth of grime and dirt, he finally got out of the shower and dried himself. He then picked up the clothes the old lady had given him. It was a white collar button shirt and a pair of black slacks. He sniffed the clothes and was petrified by its soothing clean smell. He slipped into his new clothes and tucked in his shirt, buckling the slacks with the leather belt it already had on the waist. He rolled up the sleeves so he could interact with his device comfortably. He always hated having fabric underneath it.

He stepped out of the bathroom and met Nurse Sunflower's gaze. She gasped when she caught sight of him and smiled sweetly.

"They fit perfectly! My, do you look handsome!"

Ken blushed. "Ah, shucks old lady. No need to exaggerate!"

Nurse Sunflower laughed at Ken's humility. "Oh, but it's true! And those clothes look wonderful on you! They belonged to my son!"

Ken looked at the small lady curiously. "You have a son?"

Nurse Sunflower quietly nodded. Ken could tell the old lady's usual hyper tone had turned down a bit. Ken's experience around many people spoke to him and he recognized her discomfort.

"I'm sure we would have gotten along like brothers."

Nurse Sunflower seemed shocked at the response. She was used to people asking about her son when they noticed her change in pace, but this young man…it was like he knew and didn't wish pry. It was refreshing to be in the presence of someone so understanding and on top of that, he had given her a statement that she herself knew was true.

She wiped a tear from her eye. "You are so much like him. The two of you would have been inseparable."

Ken placed his hands on her small shoulders. "Of that I have no doubt."

Nurse Sunflower gingerly stroked the strong hands for a moment before she smiled and returned to normal. "Well, let's get you some cologne. Your friends will be here any moment and you'll want to smell as dashing as you look!" She grabbed a bottle on a table nearby and handed it to Ken. "Here, a single spray should do the trick!"

Ken held the nozzle to his nose and was about to sniff when his finger discovered that it pushes down. He jumped back as the powerful fumes invaded all of the senses in his face; some of it even found its way into his throat. Ken gagged at the thick liquid and he felt his eyes water and his nose began to cringe. He began sneezing violently as his body panicked at the sudden invasion and tried desperately to get rid of the foreign substance. Nurse Sunflower grabbed his arm and held him in place, although she herself was laughing hysterically. At the exact moment Ken had sprayed himself with the bottle, Ruby and Yang had walked in. They were now rolling on the floor, laughing hysterically at the scene of Ken's miserable experience.

When Ken finally found that water was a great remedy, and after plunging his face in a container full of the sweet antidote, he angrily addressed the two girls who were still lost in their laugh attacks.

"Oh, laugh it up you two! You'd hate it too if someone was making fun of you while your eyes burn out of their sockets!" He wiped his face off with a washcloth he found as the girls finally stood on their feet.

"Sorry, sorry." Ruby was wiping her teary eyes with her sleeve. "It's just, well it's just we've never met someone so clueless." Yang was already on her feet but when she saw Ken's wet face and heard Ruby's description of him, she began laughing again and plunged her face into a nearby pillow to try and stop herself.

After the room finally calmed down, Ken thanked the kind old lady and promised her he would visit often. Nurse Sunflower gave the tall man a hug and told him he should do so anyway so she could check on his wounds. Ruby and Yang noticed the tenderness between the two and exchanged a shrug as Ken followed them out of the infirmary.

They walked down a long hallway that made Ken hum in awe. It was long and the ceiling was incredibly high. It was almost as big as most of the buildings in the wasteland would have been if they were still in one piece. With the amount of windows in the hall, it almost felt like they were outside. Yang was the first to notice and nudged the Lone Wanderer's arm.

"What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Ken smiled at the blonde. "You could say that. Even the biggest buildings in my world have nothing on this hallway."

Yang looked up towards the ceiling. "Ah, well you'll love the rest of the school. This place only gets bigger!"

Ken looked ahead of them. The hall was full of teenagers walking to and fro. Ken noticed that many of them had their own unique outfits while others seemed to where simple clothes like t-shirts and shorts. Ken's curiosity was disrupted when his stomach groaned loudly.

The three of them stopped and looked at the source of the sound. Other students in their immediate vicinity turned to look, frightened by the sound that resembled a Grimm. Yang giggled loudly.

"Looks like we have another monster to kill!"

Ruby smiled and touched Ken's elbow. "Come on! We're headed to the cafeteria!"

Ken perked up at the sound of possible sustenance. "Alright!"

Yang, Ruby, and Ken quickly finished their journey and entered the grand hall. Immediately, Ken was covered from head to toe in delicious scents. He stopped for a moment and looked around. The grand room had many tables and chairs, but most importantly: It was full of food!

Ken looked at his companions questioningly. "Uh, guys? I don't have any money or anything valuable to trade."

Ruby and Yang exchanged a confused look. "Uh, you don't have to pay anything."

Ken looked skeptical. "What? Why not?"

Ruby giggled. "Well, it's a school silly. At Beacon, we have free breakfast, lunch, and dinner as students. Oh, and you too! Professor Ozpin said it was okay."

Ken was frozen in shock. He looked at the food. Free? No way, that's impossible.

Yang grabbed Ken's hand and yanked him towards the food line. "Oh, don't be a baby. Follow my lead and you'll be full in no time!"

Ken was dragged against his will towards the food. There was no line, so Ruby and Yang started grabbing food and placing it on plates. Ken slowly grabbed a plate himself and observed the nutrition. Fruits, vegetables, and meats covered these tables endlessly. Ken grabbed an apple and an orange and studied their plump states in awe. He had seen these fruits in the wastes but was smart enough not to eat them as they were always rotten and irradiated. He placed them on his plate and collected other food before hurrying to catch up to his two new friends and followed them to a table. Blake and Weiss were already there; Blake with her book in front of her and Weiss was busy with her nails. The girls sat next to their respective partners and Ken sat next to Yang at the edge of the table. He saw Weiss had stopped and glared at his presence. He smiled and waved at her, only to have his efforts in vain when she ripped her gaze away and closed her eyes in pride. Ken sighed. _'I'll get that one to talk to me eventually.'_

"Good morning everyone," he started. Blake repeated his statement but her eyes remained in her book. Weiss simply replied with a _hmph_ and a swing of her long ponytail. Ken gave up his efforts and decided to focus on killing his hunger.

Ken felt like he might just cry at how fresh and delicious the apple he had bit into was. It was oozing with flavor and Ken slowly devoured it in an attempt to make it last. He even ate the core, unaware that the thick stem and seeds were not intended to be eaten. He didn't seem to care, for he had moved on to his orange he picked out and immediately proceeded to bite into it. He was met with a bitter sweet skin that proved a formidable defense and he heard the girls snicker quietly.

"What?" he asked. Ruby held her hand at her mouth in an attempt to avoid bursting out laughing again.

"You're supposed to peel it first, genius!" Yang declared. She on the other hand was laughing again. She brought her powerful hand onto Ken's back, causing him to cough up an apple seed. "You are going to be sooo much fun!"

Ken scowled and set the illogical fruit aside. Instead, he began working at the meats and what looked like fried dough in front of him. He fell instantly in love with the tenderness of the meat and regretted not getting any more.

"This is amazing! What is it?"

Ruby looked at the meat and smiled. "Looks like you scored yourself some roast beef there, Kenny!"

"But no bread or cheese to make the sandwich it was intended for!" Yang again began laughing, this time followed along by a chorus of snickers emitting from the rest of the girls.

Ken looked at the meat curiously. "Beef? As in Brahmin?"

Yang gave Ken a strange look. "No, dude! As in a cow! You know, they say 'moo' and stuff!" More snickering. This time, Ken smiled and chuckled with them.

"In my defense, Brahmin say the same thing too."

"Maybe they could've been friends!" Ruby suggested. She started giggling again when she saw he had grabbed a different meat. "Try the bacon!"

Ken looked at the crispy strips. He had grabbed a few eggs and the strips were sitting on them as if they were longtime friends. He remembered eating something similar in the wasteland and immediately distrusted it when he remembered falling deathly ill. He poked it with his fork. "What's that made from?"

"That one goes 'oink'. Well, used to anyway!" Yang laughed loudly again and the girls, even Weiss, began giggling again.

Ken sighed in defeat. "Look, ladies, I appreciate that I can be amusing to you, but could you please have a little more patience for me? I did come here from a world where in order to survive you had to kill your food before it killed you."

Silence followed his words, and Ken immediately regretted ever saying anything. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be a buzz kill."

Ruby smiled and pointed to the square dough. "Well, I promise you the waffles won't try and hurt you."

Ken was thankful for Ruby's accepting nature and nodded. He took his fork and cut off an edge. He expected something dull, something that matched its plain looking texture. He immediately was met with a mouthful of delicious flavor. He began scarfing down more of the mysteriously amazing substance. Ruby was pleased when Ken finished the entire thing.

"Looks like we're waffle buddies!" Ruby was excitingly poking at her own squares and popping them in her mouth as Ken took a sip of water from a glass he had grabbed. The water here was nothing like the purified water of the wasteland. This water tasted sweet and felt refreshing as opposed to the water back home, which still had a hint of the rotten taste of radiation.

"Ruby, can I talk to you outside?" Before Ruby could respond, Weiss had already grabbed her by the wrist and was pulling her towards the exit of the hall. Ken sighed and looked down at his nearly empty plate.

When the two left the grand doors and were alone, Weiss gave her partner a furious look. "Why do you insist on trying to help that man? He's obviously very dangerous and who knows what he is capable of!"

Ruby looked at Weiss sadly. She was hoping she wouldn't be this judgmental again, but it seems she can't help but distrust Ken.

"Weiss, look at him. Does he look like he's going to try and hurt us? Does he seem to you like the type of person that would try and take advantage of someone when their guard is down? Because it looks to me he's just someone who's lost and is in need of someone to guide him." Weiss didn't seem to agree with what she was saying and looked at Ruby in disbelief.

"Well I would hardly imagine that calling him your 'waffle buddy' is the appropriate approach for doing so!"

"Weiss!" Ruby was losing her patience. "Please understand! Besides, he's the type of person that can be a very powerful ally and I'm shocked that you wouldn't even try to recognize that!"

Weiss noticed her leader's tone and tried to compose herself. She crossed her arms and took a deep breath. "Look, Ruby, I really appreciate you being kind as you always are to try and help someone, but that very same nature could put you and your teammates at risk! Ozpin showed us what he did to the Grimm in the forest and I'm worried he could try and hurt one of my friends!" The thought made Weiss's temper bubble again. "His skill is based off of rage and raw power and he could use that against us!"

"It's also the same power that saved your life!"

Weiss was stunned by Ruby's sudden outburst. Ruby unclenched her fists and looked over to their table. Ken had started laughing and made the other two girls begin to laugh with him. "He may look like he's a loose cannon on the battlefield, but when he's not fighting, I can tell he's the sweetest thing to walk our Remnant. He also saved the life of two of my teammates when he didn't even know them. He did not hesitate for one second to help you when he clearly didn't have to. I already owe him for that and am eternally grateful."

She returned her gaze to her partner who was still frozen by her words. "Weiss, please try to be more understanding. Look what happened with Blake. Our team has been much more efficient since we solved that problem and now look at us. We're practically sisters."

Weiss looked deep into her partner's eyes. She couldn't help but admire the way she held her head on her shoulders, despite how innocent and childish she can act. She finally understood why she was appointed as their leader. Ruby smiled and said one more thing before reentering to join her team.

"Weiss, as your leader I can very easily order you to try and have a conversation with Kenny but I'm not going to do that. Instead, I'm going to ask you to please try and be nice to him. As my friend."

Weiss sighed and held her forehead in thought. She finally looked at her partner and gave her a sheepish smile.

"Okay, Ruby. I'll try."

Ruby grinned. "That's all I ask."

* * *

Back inside the cafeteria, Blake noticed Ken's silence and spoke up to try and comfort him. "Don't worry. She's less discriminating once you get to know her."

Ken poked the last of his broccoli before responding. "Yeah, if I even get the chance."

Yang nudged Ken softly. "She's right. Weiss isn't just evil looks and constant bickering. She's actually pretty nice. You just have to gain her trust." She laughed again. "If saving her life didn't do the trick, then just run away and have something to hide! Right, Kit-cat?" Blake shoved her fingers into Yang's ribs, causing her to buckle and bump into Ken as she tried to get away, nearly knocking him off the edge of the seat in the process. "Hey! Will you guys quit doing that?!"

Ken burst out laughing when Blake simply did it again. Yang furiously waved her arms in defense as she tried to counter the ninja-like reflexes of her partner, but was only met with more painful pokes. Ken couldn't stop laughing as Yang finally gave up. She was infected with the deep octave of Ken's voice and just started laughing too. Even Blake began giggling loudly when she heard more people in the chamber begin to laugh along with them. She noticed that the laughter seemed to soothe the atmosphere as even some of the Faunus had relaxed. _'There's something about this guy,' _she thought.

Ruby and Weiss returned to their seats. Ruby giggled as Ken sat up straight again when he finished collecting himself. "Hey! If you're done with your breakfast, we should head over to the landing area and catch a ride to Vale!"

Ken smiled and understood what she meant. "Sounds like a plan. But I reemphasize, I don't have any money." He snickered. "Unless, of course, your economy accepts bottle caps as currency."

* * *

As they walked towards the landing area, Ken was able to get to know Team RWBY a little bit better. They explained how they wanted to become Huntresses and that when they graduated they were planning to dedicate their lives to their careers. Ruby and Yang were excited to share their inspirations for becoming Huntresses. Weiss was a little more reserved, but she eventually shared with Ken that she was the sole inheritor of the Schnee Dust Company. Ken began theorizing maybe she had a rough childhood and decided not to pry when he noticed her discomfort on sharing her past. But it was Blake that didn't say anything at all. He was going to ask again when he was interrupted by Yang, asking about his own stories. He wondered why her team was distracting him, but he thought nothing of it. He was sure there was a reason. Inspired by their stories, he shared with them a few of his own, though he left out a few...minor details. The girls seemed fascinated about knowing his world more in detail, although he himself couldn't quite understand why that was the case. He began speaking about the bartering system when Blake pulled something out of her pocket.

"I found this in the forest. Although I thought I saw an explosion that was full of these. Why would you use your money as a weapon?"

Ken took the cap from Blake and studied it a moment. It was slightly bent and burnt due to its explosive use, but the paint was still intact and it wasn't chipped. He handed it back to Blake. "Keep it. Well, for the same reason we use it as money. It's not its intended purpose, but it sure has results."

Blake accepted the cap and looked it over. She smiled when she studied the design again. She really liked it. So did the other girls, who were trying to get a better look at the piece of ancient metal. He tapped into his inventory and handed one to each. "Here, as a symbol of my gratitude for your kindness to me."

Ruby's eyes lit up at the cool design. It reminded her of her favorite soda she drank all the time as a kid, despite her parent's objection to the sugary substance. Yang beamed and thanked Ken and placed it in her pocket. Weiss was a little reluctant to take it, but after exchanging a look with Ruby, she held out her hand as Ken placed the object in her palm. She herself admired the old look it had. Weiss had a thing for small collectibles and antiques, and this little knick knack seemed to satisfy both.

As the group entered the landing area, Ken looked around in wonder at the machines it housed. He saw a few planes that reminded him of the vertibirds the Enclave used, except their wings seem to be their propulsion engines as opposed to propeller blades at the top. It was the largest airships that caught his attention, however. The giant machines were huge, and Ken was amazed at how sturdy they looked. One of the giant ships pulled away from the docks and expanded its giant wings as it gained altitude. '_Whoa! I hope we can ride one of those!'_

To his disappointment, he followed his companions towards one of the smaller planes. Once they stepped inside, the engines roared to life and began to take off. Ken felt excitement at the new sensation of being pulled into the air; only to discover that his breakfast didn't agree with the movements. He held his stomach and mouth, trying desperately to avoid vomiting.

"Oh no, not you too!" The four brave members of team RWBY quickly bolted for the opposite end of the plane as Ken's face turned green.

After the plane finally landed, Ken stumbled out and searched for the nearest trash bin. He felt his stomach finally subside as he approached it, letting out a sigh of relief at the close call. When he turned around, the girls were standing a good distance away already holding their noses. He laughed and waved in their direction.

"All clear, weaklings!" The girls sighed in relief and began walking off the landing platform with Ken following close behind.

The city of Vale was bustling lively with activity. Ken took in the sights of cars driving down the lanes, people peacefully pacing the sidewalks, and businesses welcoming possible customers to their stores. Civilization like this was something he had never seen before. And he already loved it. He looked over at what looked like a sales lot and grinned.

"Hey, guys? What's that over there?" he pointed in the direction of the lot that had a number of vehicles on it. Blake walked up and looked in the direction he was pointing.

"That's a dealer lot. They sell cars and by the looks of it, it's one that focuses on luxury vehicles." She paused, studying it with her amber eyes. "It's the only one in the city of its kind, and they don't do very well because of their high prices. I also heard they have high commission rates at that lot. No wonder they do so poorly."

Ken hummed in thought. He remembered that during the time before the war, there used to be dealers of the same kind that sold automobiles that ran off of mini reactors. An idea popped in his head and he hurried over to the lot, his group pacing up behind him at his sudden detour.

He stopped and looked into the window of a car that was for sale. This got the hungry attention of a salesman and he trotted hastily towards the young man who was busy looking at the inside of the automobile.

"Good morning, young sir! Is there anything I can do for you?"

Ken looked up and grinned at the salesman. He was a little overwhelmed by the man's vibrant red suit, though Ken figured it was designed to make him stand out. _'This is going to be fun.'_ He thought.

"Hello! Just looking at your merchandise here. What do think of this automobile?"

The salesman placed his palms together as he let out a laugh. "Dear boy, you are looking at the all new Horseless Duster Model 5000! The finest vehicle with the highest standard in luxury!"

Ken looked inside the window again. This thing looked like the cars in the USA during the early 20th century, but was much more sophisticated. The leather seats were shiny clean and the steering wheel was wide and welcoming. He noticed the shifter was not in the center of the seats. In fact, only a lever was on the dashboard next to the wheel. Ken theorized these vehicles must run off Dust somehow, seeing how it is the natural resource of this planet and the vehicle's ridiculous name. He looked back towards the salesman.

"What are you asking?" He knew his question was vague, but he also knew that the salesman would quickly jump on this opportunity to sweet talk him first before telling him the price.

"This vehicle is of the highest caliber and uses the least amount of Dust of its kind! For these incredible features, we only ask for 50,000 lien!"

Ruby and the others walked up behind Ken and their stunned expressions told him that the price was incredibly high. He smirked and looked over at the salesman. The man in the black tie was a little surprised at the reaction Ken gave him and was more so when Weiss stepped up.

"That's a lot for an engine with a Dust converter! When did this ridiculous vehicle come out?"

"This FINE model was released six months ago!"

"How many have you sold since then?" Weiss suddenly crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow, and dropped her hip. Ken was surprised to see that she pulled off the move so damn well, much better than he himself ever had. Even in the wasteland, a look like that would get any poor bastard to spill out their guts or even their pockets. The salesman stuttered a bit, but finally came clean.

"…one, but the customer is truly satisfied! Maybe not with the price, but satisfied nonetheless!"

"I'll take it."

"I'm sure they-WHAT?!" Weiss was now angrily looking at Ken. The other girls were in disbelief at what they just heard. He was smiling widely when he noticed the salesman was just as shocked as everyone else. He raised a finger.

"But under certain conditions."

Ken knew he had the man at his fingertips just by the way he was looking at him. The salesman quickly nodded. They haven't had anyone express such interest in any of their vehicles in months, and he was eager to try and make another sale. "Name them!"

"I take it now, and repay you with my service. Once I sell five of your vehicles off your lot, that'll more than enough to repay the cost of it. Of the commission you would normally make as an official salesman, I only keep half. What say you, master seller?"

The salesman was still frozen in confusion. This kid wasn't what he seemed. He pulled on the salesman's emotions and played them like a fine tuned fiddle at a concert. He thought for a moment, then excused himself to speak to his boss. During his absence, Weiss turned and glared at Ken.

"What do you think you're doing?" Weiss hissed angrily. Ken smiled at the girl in white and responded smoothly.

"Getting a job. Might as well try to get some 'lien', as your currency seems to be called, and get a sweet new ride at the same time."

Ruby stepped next to Weiss. "But, do you know how to drive?"

Ken laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have the slightest clue. But I'll manage and should worse come to worse; I'll just sell it and get more spending power!"

Blake giggled at the handsome man's confidence. "You act like you already got the car."

Ken noticed the salesman returning to them with his manager in tow. "Oh, Blake. That's because I already have."

* * *

After the manager proposed that Ken finished his end of the bargain first before giving him the car and Ken was satisfied with making an appearance at the beginning of next week, team RWBY and their new friend continued their adventure in the city. The ladies continued to be astonished by Ken's charisma and kind hearted nature as they walked into different shops and spoke to different people. He even scored Ruby a free ice cream cone, and boy she was ecstatic about that.

Ken discovered that the headmaster had given Ruby money to spend on him so he can buy clothes and any essentials he may need to get started on a new life here. He frowned when he heard this news. He was planning on discovering what happened with the mysterious portal and wanted to go back to his own world. But as he joined his new friends throughout Vale and witnessed life in this reality, Ken wasn't quite sure if letting go of it was going to be easy. After a little convincing from Ruby, Ken ended up with an extra set of comfortable clothes and even some swim trunks so he can start using the school's swimming pool as a part of his workout routine. Ken even went in to get a haircut, something he always loved doing. Something about being free of all the extra unnecessary mass was very appealing to the Lone Wanderer. As he was sitting in his chair, he laughed as he watched Ruby grab hold of her older sister before she could demolish some poor bastard's skull, who thought it was a good idea to give the busty blonde's tail a pinch.

When Ken finally got done thanking the barber and walked outside, he noticed that Blake had walked into a bookstore next door and Ruby's grip had failed and was currently chasing a demonic Yang down the street. He saw that Weiss was sitting down at a coffee shop across from the barber's. Ken immediately took this opportunity to corner the girl and try and get a conversation out of her. She was sipping a ceramic cup as he silently sat down in the seat in front of her. Weiss looked over her cup and gasped in surprise, causing her to choke on the hot contents. A minute went by before she regained her strength and angrily addressed the unexpected guest.

"What in the world is wrong with you? Sneaking up on people like that? I could've choked to death!"

Ken smiled. "You know I wouldn't let that happen."

Weiss' anger began to rise again. "What does that supposed to mean?!"

Ken simply shrugged. "Just showing that I wouldn't let a friend get into harm's way that easily."

Weiss crossed her arms and looked away at the sound of the word. _'Friend?' _she thought,_ 'does this fool really think I'm his friend?'_

Ken chuckled as he knew what she was thinking. "I see you as my friend, yes, but I don't expect for you to call me yours. I just wanted you to know that I'm very thankful for what your team did in the forest. And what you did for me."

Weiss looked at the smiling face. "That wasn't just for you. I was buying all of us the time we needed to get out-"

"And you saved all of our lives." Ken had a serious look on his face now. Weiss studied his gaze for a moment, trying to discover his intentions.

"I have met many people in my travels. People who are rotten bags of greed doomed to burn in whatever hell awaits them, and people who deserve to have their names permanently known to the universe as heroes." Ken paused as the person he had in mind made him fight back his tears. Weiss noticed his slight weakness and gave him her full attention in an attempt to comfort him. She cursed herself for it in her mind.

"I have only the upmost respect for those who are willing to sacrifice everything for their comrades in the blink of an eye, even if they know it could cost them their lives. I have watched people die because of simple negligence of their so-called 'friends' or of their own selfishness. I don't resent your attitude towards me at all and in fact, I cherish it. It tells me who you are not just as a person, but as a member of your team. For that, I salute you and thank you."

Weiss stared at the man in front of her in shock. His words cut through her soul like a sharp knife and she felt her defenses shatter. Even off the field he had a weapon, and that weapon was his word. She remembered her father telling her about people in the world that can stop mere wars with the very same power. She didn't believe they existed and simply ignored the fact, but after having this interaction with the scarred man, she realized how terribly wrong she was.

Ken got up from his seat. He began walking over to the bookstore when Weiss spoke up.

"Thank you." Ken stopped and looked over his shoulder. He gave the girl in white a smile and continued to cross the street.

* * *

Ken walked into the bookstore in search for Blake. He had a very important question in mind for her ever since they escaped the Forever Fall forest. He looked around and noticed how huge this place was. Ken could count three stories from where he stood, but when he took a few more steps inside, he noticed a stairwell that went down an extra level. The layout of the beautiful building reminded him of the Arlington Library, a place he spent most of his free time reading and helping the Brotherhood organize its contents. He grumbled when he thought it might be a while before he finds her when he heard an argument coming from the front counter.

"I said, get out! We don't serve your kind here!"

"B-but sir! I didn't do anything wrong!"

Ken instinctively moved over to the source of the distress and noticed a young woman at the counter. She was a bit shorter than him and had wavy copper hair that went down to her waist. She wore a blue shirt, a white skirt, and a pair of sandals. He also saw that behind the counter was an older, heavyset man who was probably the scribe in charge of this place. The young lady seemed to be trying to stand her ground and Ken noticed that the man was the one yelling for her to get out. This frustrated Ken and he stepped up to try and defuse the situation.

"Excuse me, is everything alright here?"

The old man looked at the tall kid and frowned. "This isn't any of your business, so scram!"

Ken gave the scribe a menacing smile. "Oh, but it is. This unrest is disturbing my enjoyment of this establishment and I'd hate myself if I didn't try to offer my help."

The copper haired girl lowered her head in defeat. Ken looked over at her and was about to tell her to come out of her shell when he noticed something new. He was slightly confused when he saw what looked like pointy black ears drooping sadly out of the top of her head. Ken wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he decided that this was as good of a time as any to figure out what this was about.

"You see?!" The old man had his fists on the counter and was red with anger. "This ANIMAL thinks she can just walk in here and trot around with her dirty paws like she owns the place! Shoo, you little bastard!"

Ken felt his blood begin to boil at the sound of the man's tone. He wasn't sure who the girl was, but he knew she didn't deserve this sort of treatment. He turned towards the girl who had begun to walk away and touched her elbow. She jumped and stepped back in surprise. Her black ears were now trembling fearfully. Ken gave her a reassuring smile to try and comfort her.

"Hi. I'm Ken. What's your name?"

The girl froze, but her ears continued trembling. She was shocked at the scarred man's question. Why was he asking? Was he going to harass her too? His soft smile and relaxed face didn't suggest it, so she decided to take the risk.

"G-Gretchen. Heartfire."

Ken beamed at the young lady. "Ms. Heartfire. It's a pleasure to meet you. What seems to be the problem?"

Gretchen was visibly confused at her treatment by the man named Ken. She shook her head rapidly and looked away. "No, it's fine. I'll just leave. No problem."

Ken looked over to the counter. The old man was still fuming at the girl and Ken saw what looked like a charm necklace next to his fist. He went over and picked it up. The design of the charm was a simple silver bear, although the metal looked like it could be bent in half with barely any effort. Ken hesitated. It looked incredibly familiar. He looked over at the frightened girl.

"Was this what you were trying to buy?"

Gretchen looked at the charm and nodded. Ken asked another question when he noticed the girl was a bit calmer. "Do you have the money?"

Gretchen reached into her purse and pulled out some lien. Ken turned to the old man and smiled at him. "It looks to me she has the money to pay you for your troubles. I don't see the problem here."

The old man was still fuming and snapped his fat head in Ken's direction. "Listen here, boy, I'd rather be caught dead before I serve a filthy Faunus!"

Ken was shocked at the man's temper. The new term confused him as the man said it angrily. Faunus? He looked over and observed Gretchen a little closer. He then noticed a fluffy tail coming out from behind her and Ken finally made the connection. He was reminded of a fox, a creature that existed before going extinct on Earth. Ken walked over to the girl and held out his hand. Gretchen looked up in surprise.

"May I?"

Gretchen hesitated before she realized what he was asking for. She slowly placed her money into the dark hand.

"Thank you." Ken then walked over to the shop keep. "I, Kenneth Ramirez, a fellow citizen of this incredible world, wish to purchase this fine item from you and your store."

The old man was utterly confused at Ken's presentation. He angrily shook his head. "Why the hell would you want to help an animal like that?"

"Because in my eyes she is just as much of a person as I am. If you insist on using the word 'animal' to describe someone, that person would be you!"

Ken was furious now. He didn't realize he was clutching the money in his hand and had almost broken the soft charm in his other. The familiar bubbling of emotion filled his chest and it took him a little more effort than usual to keep it under control. The old man stepped back in fear at the sound of the sudden anger in the sharp voice.

Ken stepped forward to the counter and slammed the charm on the counter. "I come from a world that is infested by people like you! And those people are the cause of constant discrimination that leads to bloodshed. I will not stand here and allow this one to be plagued by it too!" He walked back over and handed the money back to the now surprised Faunus. "I wouldn't even bother. You deserve better. That thing was made of cheap metal anyway."

Gretchen slowly took her money, afraid of what might happen next. Ken realized he was still red hot from his outburst and took a deep breath. He tapped into his Pip-Boy and found the charm he was reminded of. He materialized it in his hand and placed it in the girl's.

"Here. This one is made of a much better material. It was given to me by a small friend who deemed me worthy. Keep it safe."

Gretchen stared at the charm in her hand. Her green eyes took in every little detail of the bear shaped metal. It looked exactly like the one she tried to buy; only this was tethered with a few scratches here and there. Except this one was…shinier. She looked up at Ken and tried to hand her money to him. He pushed it back, shaking his head.

"Run along now. You've seen enough hate for a day."

The fox girl gave the man a silent thank you and hurried out of the store. Ken looked over and noticed the fat man was still frozen and pale white with fear. He looked at the spot where he slammed his fist and scowled at himself when he saw he had cracked the wood and the charm was broken. '_This is going to bite me in the ass,'_ he thought.

Just then, he saw Blake set some cash onto the counter and hurried over, grabbing his arm.

"Let's go."

Ken nodded. "Good idea."

Blake and Ken quickly exited the silent store and proceeded to walk in the direction of the coffee shop. Blake turned to look at a still burning up Ken.

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Help that Faunus girl?"

Ken angrily shot her a look. "What, you thought I was just going to stand there and watch while some poor soul got beaten up by some rotten bag of flesh?" He looked back at the shop. "Why did that jackass treat her that way anyway?"

Blake grabbed his arm and gave it a squeeze. "Humans have been discriminating against the Faunus for a very long time. Even now, the Faunus are viewed as inferior. Naturally, most Faunus try to hide their heritage while others actively try and make a difference. I think that girl was just trying to be normal."

Ken looked over at Blake when he heard her sigh. He noticed she was smiling widely at him. Ken smiled back when he connected the dots.

"What about you?"

Blake stopped. Ken knew he hit it right on the head. At least the ears, anyway.

"How did you know?"

Ken laughed. "Well, I wasn't really sure until now. It would explain why your bow twitched when we were in the forest. In fact, that was what I wanted to talk to you about."

Blake gave Ken her usual weird look. Ken continued walking despite it.

"I won't lie, Blake. I don't understand why this beautiful world has this sort of hate. But I can see why it exists. Racism will always be an issue, and until humanity learns to accept its faults, there will continue to be unrest."

"That's…not what I was expecting."

Ken turned to look at the confused girl.

"What were you expecting?"

Blake walked up to the Lone Wanderer and studied him closely. "Why don't you hate us, too? You said yourself that if anything wasn't human in your world, it was trying to kill you."

Ken met Blake's observing look and smiled warmly.

"That's not entirely true. There were a people in the wasteland that were trying to survive just as I was. They were human once, but being exposed to a deadly amount of radiation changed their bodies to practically ash and they barely have any skin left. These Ghouls, as they're called, are treated like trash and are usually shot on sight. But what people don't realize is that their hearts, souls, and tears are just as human as ours. I seem to be one of the few who view them as equals." He smiled when he saw Blake's bow twitch. "And I see the Faunus in the same way."

He laughed. "Besides, one of my best companions is a giant mutant that has sworn his loyalty to me. His race is vicious and unforgiving to humans, killing and eating them as they please. The difference is he also doesn't discriminate. Instead, he understands. Damn smart, too."

Blake was astounded by this new information. She wasn't expecting any of this, but here is this person from a completely different world that was far worse than her own and he was much kinder than anyone she ever encountered. She smiled and the two continued their way over to the coffee shop where Ruby and Yang had already beat them to.

After a long day of adventures, and in Yang's case some serious lesson teaching, the group finally made their way back to Beacon. It was getting late and team RWBY was planning on having a study session with another team of fellow classmates. When they landed back at the school, and after Ken fought back another episode of sickness, Ken insisted that the girls hurry over to their friends and he could find his own way back to the infirmary. They said their goodbyes and Ken and team RWBY went their separate ways. Ken walked the hallway back to the infirmary slowly, studying the details of his newest map on his wrist to try and get a better feel for the layout. He went over in his mind the events of the past few days. He suddenly appears in this new world, his life is saved by a band of pretty girls, and now he had his inventory full of stuff he would need to begin living here. He laughed to himself. _'Maybe this place can become my new home.'_

As he turned the final corner to the infirmary, he noticed Professor Ozpin was walking down the opposite direction with another person. Ken quickly jogged over to him.

"Headmaster!"

The professor turned around. "Good evening, Mr. Ramirez. I trust you had an eventful day?"

Ken smiled widely at the old man. "You have no idea."

Ozpin chuckled lightly. "I'm glad. The ladies of team RWBY are very colorful, and I'm sure your time with them was enjoyable." The woman he was with gave Ken a glare, one that made him uneasy. _'Great. Every woman on this planet seems to give me that look.'_

The headmaster turned to the woman. "Mr. Ramirez, this is Professor Goodwitch. Professor, this is Kenneth Ramirez."

The emerald eyes continued to burn into Ken's soul. She nodded. "Mr. Ramirez, a pleasure to meet you."

Ken respectfully bowed his head. "The pleasure is all mine, ma'am."

Ken silently built up some courage before addressing the old man again. "Headmaster, I have…an unusual request."

Ozpin looked over at his companion and gave her a warm smile. If he didn't know any better, Ken recognized it as one that said _'I told you so._' Knowing the message behind it, Professor Goodwitch rolled her eyes and excused herself. When she disappeared down the hall, the headmaster sipped his mug before responding.

"I'm all ears."

Ken looked up with a determined expression. "I wish to formally apply for training and studying at Beacon Academy."

The headmaster simply smiled at the strength in his voice. "Oh? You wish to become a Hunter?"

"No." Ken straightened his back and took a step forward. "I want to become a protector of this world. I want help it thrive and protect it from the greed of humanity and the evil Grimm."

The headmaster turned around, sipping his mug as he usually does. Ken became worried at the sight of the professor's back, but he knew the headmaster would at least tell him why he couldn't grant his wish.

"You would be at a disadvantage. We are past the first half of the year. You have had no proper warrior training and lack the background you would need to join this institution."

"I know. But today's events have taught me a number of things. They have taught me that civilization is a treasure that my ancestors took no regard for and refused to try and preserve. I have learned that even in this world, evil is very real, but it has kept the people of Remnant strong instead of causing them to destroy themselves. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang have taught me that even in the darkest times, giving up hope is just not an option and only by standing by each other's side will victory ever be achieved. I can catch up. I have the new friends I need in order to achieve my goal. I don't know if my world still awaits me, and I don't know if I can go back. But Remnant is a place I wish to help protect. That is why I want to become a Hunter."

Ken took a deep breath and waited for the old man's response. He heard him take another thoughtful sip before beginning to walk away. Ken immediately became anxious, his mind already scolding him for opening his mouth and spitting out the dumb idea. Ken turned to walk back towards the infirmary when he heard the silver haired man speak once more.

"Your initiation begins one week from today. I will send word with further instructions. Be ready."

Ken was overwhelmed with excitement at the headmaster's response.

"Bring it on."

* * *

**A/N: How was it? I hope I didn't mess anything up. Anyway, I really appreciate everyone that has favorited and followed. Please feel free to do so if you haven't already! I am truly enjoying writing this little crazy fantasy of mine and interacting with you, the epic audience! I'm actually thinking I will make this a usual hobby for me, so I'll have more fan-fictions in the works. And who knows! Maybe if this story becomes popular enough, I may follow up with a sequel to it... ;)**

**Oh yeah! RWBY Volume 2 is coming out this week! SO MUCH HYPE! This story I'm writing, as you could probably tell, takes place after Volume 1. So, I will keep the timeline ****_within_**** both volumes for now. I'm not sure when Volume 2 takes place, but if it happens to take place during the same time as my story, well, shit. That's what I get for waiting so long to start writing this! Just keep that in mind as Volume 2 is coming out. I CAN'T WAIT!**

**Please leave me a review letting me know what you think! Reviews keep me motivated! And motivation equals more awesome content! Thank you for being kind and patient to me as this is in fact my first ****_ever_**** fan fiction. See you next Wednesday!**

**Kind regards,**

**Just another fan.**


	10. Chapter 9: Awakening

_Chapter 9: Awakening_

Ken stared out the window at the early morning sun. It was past 0600, and Ken couldn't get any more sleep thanks to the damn bloatflies in his stomach. He recalled the events of the past week. On Monday, he made his appearance at the dealer lot and finished his end of the bargain before the day even ended. To say the employees were shocked was an understatement and they practically kissed Ken's feet for his incredible performance. Even though he didn't want the car anymore, since he may be accepted into Beacon, the manager insisted he take it. A deal was a deal. The manager also granted him a generous bonus for practically saving the business. With some resistance from Professor Goodwitch, Ken was able to park his new car in the parking lot of the school that was reserved for teachers. Ozpin really did spoil his students sometimes. Yang insisted he also give it a name. She said something about her motorcycle _Bumblebee _wanting to be friends with the new-comer. In the Old World, there was a car that looked just like it. So, Ken decided to name it after the old-school vehicle: _The Highwayman._ It only seemed appropriate.

The next few days were mostly preparation. He sat with Ruby and her team in their dorm one day as he tried to finish the seemingly endless amount of paper work, although that became a failed attempt after a boy named Jaune accidentally lit some of them on fire. It was that day he met the members of team JNPR, and it was also the day he discovered that Blake preferred to read with candles instead of normal lights. After restricting Jaune to come anywhere near Blake's side of the room, Ken turned in the paper work he had left, apologizing profusely for the mess. He was relieved when the headmaster said he would take care of the rest. He was then assigned his own dorm room, which turned out to be only one floor above his friend's. He was thankful that he would be near them and also loved being able to have a single bed and his own bathroom.

Ken went in to the armory every day to check if his jumpsuit was ready yet. To his disappointment, Tommy the Quartermaster told him no every time. Defeated, Ken decided he would simply wear the clothes he got in Vale, and sincerely hoped he didn't have to use his other armor. Now, it was Saturday again, and Ken couldn't help being absolutely nervous for the day's events. Ruby and her team explained to him what happened during their own initiation: relics and monsters. Ken wasn't worried about the monsters, but he was worried about being put on a team. He never really worked well with people he didn't know or trust, so being put on a team with the first person he makes eye contact with was not appealing. But it was also entirely possible that he was the only one going through the ceremony. He had relaxed when he came to this conclusion. He really hoped so.

Once he was finished taking another long shower, which he always make an effort to try and do, Ken got ready and made his way towards the cafeteria. He had a few hours before he had to show at the headmaster's office and he planned on getting breakfast along with some last second advice from the girls. When he stepped into the delicious smelling hall, he noticed this time it was full of students. Ken wasn't really surprised, seeing that this was in fact a school, but it was still very early. There was another thing he noticed when he walked in, something that only made the bloatflies in his stomach flutter even worse: every single person in the hall turned to look at him.

Ken stood there a moment, absorbed by the gaze of quite possibly every single student in the academy. The light buzz of conversations halted as everyone's attention was captured by the scarred man. He returned their gaze as they stared him down in silence. The room was incredibly uncomfortable until Ruby's high pitched voice finally called out to him.

"Kenny! Over here! We saved you a spot!"

Ken gladly walked over to her, trying to avoid making eye contact with anyone else. He heard people whispering behind him as he walked passed.

"Is that him? The guy that appeared in the forest?"

"Yeah! Did you see his scar?"

"I think he's called the Lonely Walker or something."

"Really? That's kind of a dumb name."

Ken grumbled at the things he heard. Not only were most of them wrong, but what frustrated him most was that they didn't seem to try and hide their remarks under their breaths. He finally sat down next to Ruby. He was amused at the sight of Yang holding herself up with one hand while snoozing over her stack of pancakes. Blake yawned softly next to her and took a sip of her tea. Weiss was on Ruby's other side and she gave him a tired smile. Ken returned the same kind face to her.

"So, what's the occasion? You ladies are awfully earlier than usual."

Ruby yawned loudly and stretched. "All of the first year students have gathered to watch the initiation. People are very eager to see who's going to join our class."

Ken looked at the hall in surprise. He must have been nerve racked when he walked in because now he noted that the room was not filled to the brim like he had originally imagined.

"Wait, these are just the first year students?"

Blake nodded, taking a sip of her tea over her usual book. Weiss leaned in front of Ruby and added in herself.

"When word spread about the initiation, people immediately began spreading rumors and making theories about the new students. Professor Goodwitch called for an assembly yesterday and told everyone that when it's over, the new teams would be announced in the afternoon. It seems people are really curious this morning and couldn't wait for the broadcast to start."

Weiss became concerned when she saw Ken's expression was that of a deer in headlights. "Um, Ken? What's wrong?"

"Did you say 'students'? And 'teams'?

The girls exchanged a look of confusion. "Uh, yeah. Including you, there looks like a total of five."

Ken's face fell on the table with a loud _bang_. Yang woke up with a start and angrily flipped her plate in reflex. The sticky substances flew into the air and landed on Ken's head, though he didn't budge. Yang was breathing heavily and was ready to attack whatever startled her while the other students around her ran away in fear.

Yang looked at the pile of wasted deliciousness. "I hope that hurt. The last of my favorite syrup is now on your fat head!"

Ken replied with his face still in the fluffy pancakes. "At least you get to choose your syrup."

The blonde angrily readdressed her breakfast. "What?!"

Ken lifted his head, grabbing a pancake that slipped off and bit into it. "If there are other students going through the ceremony, that means I'm probably going to be on a team and I'm probably not going to get along with them as well as I do with you guys." He took another bite.

Ruby began wiping at Ken's head with her napkin. "That's not true. You can make friends with anybody! At least you won't be completely alone here. You still have us either way."

Ken began chewing the last pancake. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks, it means a lot."

Ruby nodded. She suddenly perked up when she had an epiphany. "Oh my gosh! Ken, make sure you save as much Aura as you can for your return! You never know what will get between you and your exit and if you're not careful, you may not even make it back at all."

Ken choked on a piece of pancake. When he cleared his throat, he looked at the small girl in surprise. "My what?"

"Your exit!"

"Yeah, sis! No need to make it sound so 'Grimm'. Eh? Eh?!" Yang wiggled her eyebrows and looked at everyone. A pin could be heard dropping in the silence that ensued. Although a loud 'boooo' came her way from across the hall, aggravating the blond brawler.

Ken shook his head and tapped Ruby on the shoulder. "No, no, no. What did you say earlier? Ore ah, or something?"

All four girls looked at Ken in shock.

"Kenny…you _do_ know what Aura is, don't you?"

Ken shook his head slowly. Ruby looked over at Yang, as if maybe she heard something different, but Yang only shrugged and returned everyone's look of confusion.

"Is it necessary for me to survive this?" He finally asked.

Weiss shifted her attention towards him. "Aura is something we all have. It's the energy produced by the souls of the creatures of this world. It's an advantage we have over the Grimm, which have no souls."

Ken looked at Weiss curiously. "What does it do?" he asked.

"Aura protects us from harm and is used to amplify our minds, bodies, and even our weapons." replied Blake, "It allows us to have a Semblance, a special ability that is unique to each individual."

"Is it possible for me to have it?" Ken paused as the girls thought for a moment.

"Well, you look like you have a soul, and if Weiss has one, then you should too!" Yang giggled when Weiss stood up in anger.

"Hey! That's no way to talk about your teammate!"

"Calm down, Weiss!" Ken had a smirk that was immediately erased when Weiss turned her anger towards him. "Okay, so what do I need to do in order to find out if I have Ore ah?"

"It's pronounced Aura, spelled a-u-r-a." Blake looked up to the ceiling in thought. "Normally, while you're in combat school they teach you how to activate your own Aura and you learn how to use it and grow it."

Ruby happily finished eating a strawberry and placed her hand on Ken's shoulder. "I'm sure you have Aura, Kenny! You would just need someone else to use theirs to unlock it."

"How do you do that?"

"It's easy! You touch the person's face and sing 'Mary Had a Little Lamb!'" Yang began laughing loudly as she usually does at her clever remarks while the others simply rolled their eyes. "Oh, come on! That was funny!"

Ken sighed and stood on his feet. "Well, even if I do have my own Aura, it's a bit too late for me to try and grow accustomed to it. I'm better prepared now that I'm fully recovered and I'm better informed. I'd rather just go in with what I know and do what I'm best at: kicking some serious ass."

Yang pumped her fist in the air in triumph at Ken's comment. She exchanged a powerful high five with the Lone Wanderer that echoed throughout the hall. Some people might even say it was the high five that defined the century. Ken announced he was going to head to wash off the sticky syrup he was covered in. Ruby and the others decided they would walk Ken out of the hall, seeing that he had a big day ahead of him and they wanted to show their support. Even Weiss wished him luck and patted him on the shoulder. She immediately regretted it when she got syrup all over her hand and bolted to the bathroom while everyone else died of laughter. The girls left Ken at the locker room to shower and get ready, saying their final good byes and good lucks.

Ken was glad his hair was short. He easily got the syrup out after about five minutes and decided not to waste any more time in the relaxing steam. He got dressed and looked at the time. 0800. One hour until show time. When he stepped out of the locker room, he was surprised to see Blake waiting for him around the corner. He immediately noticed she was holding something behind her back when she walked up to him.

"Hey Blake." He smiled at his pretty friend. "Come here often?"

Blake rolled her eyes and gave him a grin. "Shut up, idiot. Hey, I have something for you."

She brought out from behind her what she was hiding. Ken felt his heart jump in excitement and immediately felt relieved. "What?! When did you get that?"

"A few days ago. I told the people at the armory to tell you it wasn't ready so I can…add a little touch of my own."

Blake was holding Ken's armored jumpsuit. He carefully grabbed hold of it and studied it in disbelief. It looked…clean. It might as well have been brand new. All the cuts it had had been sewn tightly and the leather itself was polished well. He was stunned when he saw the modifications to it. On the right shoulder where a weak plate used to be was what looked like the mask of a Beowolf; cleaned and ready for its new purpose. He also noticed that the thighs, shins, and knees were covered with the white armor of the evil creature. More bones covered the jumpsuit where the vital organs and tendons would be most vulnerable, and there even were spikes that acted as joint protectors. The leather harness that strapped to the belt was still there, along with the left shoulder protector, giving it that same familiar feel Ken had grown to love. Despite these stunning additions, Ken felt that the suit was much lighter than before. The last thing he admired was that the yellow numbers on the back were fully attached and repaired and no longer were on the verge of falling off. _'Moira would've loved this._' He tapped the chest and ribs with his knuckle. He was met with an unfamiliar feel that wasn't the usual ceramic material.

"The inside plating was replaced by a mixture of Dust and steel. The concoction is something that is incredibly difficult to penetrate, but also very light." Blake smiled. "I told them to use it, but I put the extra bones on myself." She became a bit concerned when she saw Ken's look of disbelief on his face. _'Oh no'_, she thought, _'he doesn't like it.'_

"Blake. This is…incredible." Ken beamed graciously at his friend. "I don't even know how to thank you."

Blake didn't realize she was holding her breathe and let out a loud exhale. "You're welcome."

Blake then walked up to Ken and placed her hand on his cheek. Ken felt his blood rush to his face and he froze in anticipation. _'Uh oh. What do I do?!'_ His mind raced as he tried to figure out what was happening and his heart began to do the same.

"Close your eyes." Blake whispered. "And focus your mind."

_'Okay…not what I was expecting.'_

"Uh, sure, okay."

Ken closed his eyes and relaxed. He heard Blake begin to hum softly. Then, she began saying something. She continued to mutter inaudible words as Ken began to feel…warm. Strangely warm. He almost felt like something was awakening inside him, something that has been dormant for a long time. Suddenly, he felt a presence. Someone found their way into his mind and he was taken to-

'_Kenneth. Sweetheart.'_

Ken felt the sound of the familiar voice crawl through his skin. Every fiber in his body knew who it was, though he couldn't remember where he had heard it before. But where was it coming from?

_'Ken, relax. I am here, in your mind.'_

_ '…Mother?'_

_ 'Yes sweetie. It's me. Catherine.'_

Ken began feeling his tears roll down his cheeks.

_'Mother. Where are you? Why can't I see you?'_

_ 'Don't be frightened, my dear. Just know that I am always here. In your heart and in your soul. Protecting you. Your father is watching over you, and so am I. You are strong, and we are your foundation. You are brave, and we are your weapon. You are sweet, and we are your fruit. We are here to protect you. Forever, and always. I love you, Ken. We both love you very much.'_

Ken felt the presence begin to fade. _'Mother, wait! Please, don't go!'_

It was gone. He lost her. He opened his eyes when he felt Blake wiping a tear from his eye. She smiled when his sad gaze finally met her own.

"They love you very much, Kenny." Blake continued to rub his cheek with her thumb as Ken's lips trembled slightly. For a moment, the two stared into each other's eyes while Ken regained his composure.

"What happened?" he finally asked.

Blake grabbed Ken's right hand and raised it so he could see. His fingers were covered by what looked like a force field. It shined an emerald green and shimmered proudly as Ken moved his hand. He raised his other and noticed it too was covered in the warm glow. Ken was entirely wrapped in his newly awakened Aura and he immediately felt comfortable with it, almost as if he encountered an old friend and they still knew each other perfectly.

Ken smiled at the soothing sensation. _'Thanks, mother. I love you too.'_

"~~Kenny and Kit-Cat sitting in a tree! K-i-s-s-i-n-AH!" Yang was immediately caught into her little sister's arms in a fierce headlock while she tried to drag her back into their hiding spot.

"Sorry! Don't mind us! We were just trying to find Weiss, RIGHT Yang?"

"You. Will. Regret. This!" Yang gasped as she tried to free herself from the fierce grip. Ken and Blake began to laugh at the scene as Ruby finally lost her grip yet again and ran down the hall with Yang hot on her tail.

Ken stored his jumpsuit and noticed that the stats screen had a message:

WARNING! ANOMALLY DETECTED! PLEASE CONTACT-

Ken cleared the message and turned to Blake. She was already walking away when Ken called out to her.

"Hey wait!"

She looked over her shoulder. "Yes?"

Ken hesitated. He hadn't thought of what to say. He scrambled as he tried to think of something, but came up with nothing. He sighed.

"Thank you."

Blake smiled and continued down the hall. "Don't mention it."

* * *

0900. It was time. Ken was outside the doors to the headmaster's office. Except, something was nagging at him. He had put on his jumpsuit and analyzed his inventory, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was forgetting something. He had been given a scroll, a device Ken had no trouble with interacting. He remembered receiving a message on it, one that said to meet at Beacon Cliff instead of…wait.

_'SHIT!'_

Ken immediately looked at his newly downloaded map and fiddled with his Pip-Boy's buttons. When he finally found where his new objective was he bolted away, swearing to himself and hoping he wouldn't be too late.

He arrived five minutes late to the cliff. He saw the headmaster sipping his usual mug patiently when Ken stopped in front of him, panting loudly to try and catch his breath. Professor Goodwitch looked at her watch and let out a disapproving _hmph._

"Mr. Ramirez," said Professor Ozpin calmly, "So glad you could join us."

"Sorry I'm late, headmaster." Ken finally took a deep breath and walked over to the spot Professor Goodwitch was pointing towards.

"Hm. Now that we are all here, we can get started."

Ken looked to his left at the other students. They seemed to be spread out and he couldn't really make out who they were. He saw a dark man with dreadlocks looking dead ahead a few spots away. Ken looked to the spot on his immediate left and immediately recognized the girl next to him. She blushed when she recognized him too and smiled. Her charm shined brightly around her neck.

"Hi Ken! Good to see you again!"

Ken hesitated before he answered. He certainly didn't expect her to be here. "Oh, hi. Gretchen, right?"

Gretchen nodded excitedly when he remembered her name. Just then, the headmaster cleared his throat loudly and everyone turned to him.

"Your initiation will consist of two simple objectives. The first is to collect a single relic at the north end of the Emerald Forest and the second is to return it to me, alive. Based on your performance and the relic you choose, you will be assigned teams for the rest of your time here at Beacon."

Ken grumbled. _'Well, at least I'll have a chance to be matched with someone who's probably a better fit for me.'_

Professor Goodwitch tapped a command into her scroll. "Each of you will be assigned partners during your mission that will permanently become your first teammate. This partner will be the first person you make eye contact with after landing in the forest."

Ken looked over at the blonde professor with fire in his eyes. '_Or maybe not. Damn!'_

Ozpin took a sip from his mug. "When you finally have your partner, each pair is to return to me one relic. Your performance and standing will be graded accordingly. Do keep in mind that the instructors are here to observe and not interfere. If you hesitate to destroy anything and everything, you _will_ die."

Someone at the end of the line raised a hand. "Professor? There are five of us. Will we be on a five man squad, or will the extra person join an existing team?"

Professor Ozpin looked at the voice in displeasure. "No. The maximum number for a squad here at Beacon is four. One person will have to go about the rest of their career here alone."

"WHAT?!" Gretchen was incredibly shocked at the new information. She had nearly stepped off of the platform she was on and had clenched her fists in fear. She sure didn't want to be the one to go about this alone. Ken looked back towards the forest and snickered quietly. _'Don't worry.'_ He thought, _'I already know who that'll be.'_

"Everyone. If there are no more questions, take your positions."

Ken saw that Gretchen prepared a stance as if she was ready to hop off the cliff. Ken was struck with a realization and looked over at the headmaster, who seemed pleased by Ken's reaction.

"Uh, sir? How exactly are we getting to the forest?"

Ozpin smiled at the young man. "We will be…dropping you off."

Ken felt the platform he was standing on begin to click loudly. He angrily looked at Goodwitch, who also seemed quite amused.

"Oh. Son of a-"

Ken was catapulted into the air before he could even finish his sentence.

* * *

The giant door loudly rumbled and clanked as it received its commands. The standard siren and spinning lights flashed and called out their rarely issued warnings. Slowly, the giant gear shaped metal pulled back with a loud _screech _of its rusting material dragging away from its frame. It rolled to the left and out of sight, allowing passage to the outsiders on its doorstep. As soon as the door was opened, two metallic men entered quickly, weapons sweeping the area for any signs of hostility. The third man didn't wait for them to finish their analysis, however, and continued inside the large chamber, brushing past the robot with a brain that insisted he change into his jumpsuit.

This man wore a white lab coat that was in pristine condition, something of a rarity in this day and age. Underneath it he simply wore black slacks, a white collar shirt, and a pitch black tie. He adjusted the black rubber gloves on his hands, a trait that many that encountered him found strange. He insisted on wearing them and only switched them out before and after his experiments when no one was looking. But he always wore them. Even when he slept.

The vault they entered was humming softly with the sounds of robots and machinery. Their footsteps echoed throughout the walls of the iron tomb and sounded alien alongside the rest of the ambience. The scientist expertly walked through the corridors and made his way to the office of the Overseer. Once there, he had no trouble getting through the security of the monitor, opening the hatch with ease.

The office of the Overseer wasn't anything like the standard ones. Instead of a round desk with a few monitors behind it and some lockers against the wall, all there was in the center was a giant egg-like pod that was linked to the gray walls by long, thick cables. The man didn't take too much time studying the monitors inside and played with their keys with a quick and steady rhythm of his gloved fingers. After a few moments, the monitors beeped in response, and the pod in the center of the room hissed and popped.

The scientist walked over to the pod. As he approached, the hatch gave way with a loud _snap_ and began to swing open. When it was completely vertical, the hissing and whirring of the pod's door hinges were replaced with a low moaning and painful sounding grunts.

The scientist found a nearby metal stool and dragged it over to the side of the pod. He sat down on it and waited patiently for his cue. He didn't have to wait long.

"W-what?" An old man inside the pod blinked and coughed weakly as he awoke. He didn't move, although one could tell he was trying to by the slight wiggling of his fingers. "W-w-who's there?"

"Dr. Stanislaus Braun. Good morning." The voice of the scientist was as dark as his skin and the menacing accent echoed against the ancient metal. Braun blinked again and successfully moved his wrist, but was now focused on trying to move his head towards the strange voice.

"W-where? Why?"

"Relax, doctor. By no means do I mean you harm. Though I will say, it is up to you how our meeting adjourns."

Braun creaked his neck just enough so that he could connect his gaze with that of the dark man. He observed his attire as well as his skin. It was dark and was obviously of African American decent. The old scientist found that something else was bothering him about this stranger besides the English accent. His skin looked…dry. Unnatural. Braun felt his voice finally return to him and he addressed the first real person in over two centuries.

"Why did you free me?"

The scientist grinned. "You have information that I need. And you are the only soul I know that could possibly have it."

Braun stared the strange man down. "Who are you?"

"Who I am does not matter. However, your cooperation means a better chance at rebuilding the United States of America and everything she ever fought for."

A weak laugh emitted from Braun's mouth. "And what makes you think I'm a patriot?"

"I never said you were. But I do know you were willing to do anything for the survival of the human race. At the right price, of course."

The smile on Braun's face faded from view. In its place was something more of agony and pain. The dark scientist took a deep breath.

"I can free you of your misery. I could also help you make a full recovery and make you feel like you did before you entered this God forsaken place." He leaned forward and frowned at the ancient man. "But, should you not cooperate, I will gladly place you back into your virtual coffin and allow you to die a slow, agonizing death. Do you wish to cooperate?"

Braun stared at the man. There was no way he was going back in there. And besides, what good would it do if he _could_ walk again? He wouldn't last long. He slowly nodded, the old bones in his spine creaking loudly at the gesture.

"Good. Dr. Braun." The scientist leaned in close to the old man. "What do you know about the Development Center in the southwest commonwealth?"

Dr. Braun blinked. For a second, he didn't know what he was talking about. Then, it came to him.

"Big Mountain. A research facility gone awry. What do you want from that place?"

The dark scientist snickered. "Technology. Intelligence. Glory. The usual things that would make any man thirst for power."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

The dark scientist leaned back slightly. "I believe I'm asking the questions here, Braun. However, I am glad to know that this fictional place exists."

"From what I understand, the bombs finally dropped." Braun successfully shifted in his seat, with difficulty. "It is probably nothing more than an irradiated pile of debris."

"Perhaps. But maybe something is salvageable." His dark brown eyes reconnected with Braun's gaze. "Where do I find it?"

"You don't. The location was classified and only a select number of people knew where it was." A smile found its way back onto Braun's overly wrinkled face. "But that doesn't mean its information was lost forever."

The dark scientist leaned in. "Go on."

"But first, the right price."

"Name it."

"One bullet."

"As you wish."

Braun exhaled loudly. "I had connections in Big Mountain. And it was too easy to get past their primitive security protocols. It was like…stealing from a little girl."

"And where do you have it?"

Braun slowly reached inside his jumpsuit. From around his neck, he pulled out a small, black rectangle and yanked. The necklace popped off, with some painful effort. Braun stared at the device.

"This little device holds everything Big Mountain ever discovered or created before the year 2077. It even holds some of my own research. I myself can't believe that so much information can be inside one small flash drive."

The dark scientist observed the device. He grinned. Looks like he can skip an entire step altogether. Braun reluctantly held it in arms reach. When the scientist grabbed hold of it, Braun showed weak resistance and held on.

"Don't forget our deal."

The scientist nodded. "Of course not."

"Dr. Theos!" One of the men in power armor walked up behind the scientist. "I just received word from command. 501st just returned from the west coast with fuel and supplies."

The scientist grumbled. "And?"

"They found… something else. The president has ordered our immediate return when your objective is complete."

The scientist stood on his feet and smiled at the ancient fossil. "Thank you, doctor. I will leave you so you may enjoy your long deserved rest."

"You never told me who you were. Or what you wanted."

"Does it truly matter to you?"

"No. But I made an effort to answer all of my questions before I died."

The dark man turned and walked towards the exit. "Very well, if you must know. I am a man who wishes to see a world truly free. Free of greed, power, and hate. Earth was plagued by it all, plus more. Now that our slate is clean, we can begin again. But what happens? The societies rebuilding have the same problems. Some even have it worse." He stopped and looked back at Braun, who was watching him intently. "So, if rebuilding will not work, and the flaws of mankind cannot be uprooted, then why not start somewhere else? Why not try a world that indeed got it right when we went wrong?"

Braun watched from his seat for a moment. Realization then struck him like a freight train at full speed.

"My God. You're after _Haven_, aren't you?!"

A ten millimeter pistol materialized in the gloved hand. The scientist smiled. "You really are the intelligent scientist they claim you to be. Good night, doctor. And rest in peace."

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! I hope you guys liked this chapter! Let me know what you think in the reviews. Don't be shy!**

**Just a quick side note: as most of you know, I already have most of this written and set up. If anything comes out in the canon that would derail my plans for this story, I'll try to accommodate it, but it may not work out. I'm talking about rules and timeline mostly. You'll see what I mean in later chapters. Can't wait for episode 2 tomorrow! :D**

**Any comments are always appreciated! Thanks to everyone who has favorited and followed! You guys are awesome! See you next week!**

**Kind regards,**

**Just another fan**


	11. Chapter 10: Initiation

**A/N: Hey guys! Welcome back! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Also, I have an announcement to make, but as usual I will leave it at the end. I would appreciate it if you read it. See you there!**

* * *

_Chapter 10: Initiation_

"Oh, poor Kenny! How did he not see that coming?" Ruby was biting her ice cream cone in anticipation. "I thought we told him about that! Didn't we, guys?"

The other members of her team whistled innocently and avoided her gaze. Ruby was shocked by their negligence.

"You planned this! You guys are terrible!" Yang patted her sister on the shoulder and smiled sweetly.

"Don't worry, Ruby! He'll be fine. We just wanted to see the look on his face before he got launched!"

Ruby gave Yang a look of disapproval before turning back to the screen in the middle of the amphitheater. "I hope he'll be okay."

* * *

_'Crap! Crap! Crap!'_ Ken was spinning out of control. He tried to come up with a plan. _'Okay, how the hell did I do this last time? Right, find a giant deep lake that will serve as a peaceful tomb. Damn it, Ken! Think!'_

He regained control of his flight at its peak. He looked down and noticed he was quite high in the air. Ken calmed himself and looked in the direction of his objective. There was a large clearing not too far away with what looked crumbling pillars in its center. _'That must be it.'_

As he began his descent towards the ground, he pulled out his make shift chain dart and readied it in his hands. He patiently timed his descent and spotted a thick branch just below. He tossed his knife towards it and was satisfied when he felt it plant deep into the wood. He grabbed hold of the chain as he swung down and it began wrapping around the branch. He still had a lot of momentum, so when Ken felt he was about to run out of chain, he let go and somersaulted up high. He planned his descent perfectly and landed lightly on the tightly wrapped branch. He felt his Aura absorb the rest of the shock as it glistened around his boots. He grinned when he noticed he wasn't far from the ground. _'How about that for a landing strategy?'_

Ken stored his chain and used his gauntlet to slide down the rest of the trunk. When he hit land, he immediately sprinted towards the clearing, hoping he could figure out how to be the one person without a team.

* * *

"Whoa! Did you see that? That chain he used just disappeared!"

"His hand! Oh my Dust! Is he a monster?"

The amphitheater was filled now with not just the first year students, but also the entire staff and a lot of older kids. The broadcast had become a popular event since the spreading news of the Lone Wanderer and it was of no surprise that they all wished to see the stranger in action. The students were astonished with what they were witnessing. They saw Ken land comfortably and use his claw to descend the rest of the way. Blake was truly satisfied at how well Ken used his chain dart and couldn't help feeling a little flattered at the inspired creation. Ruby raised her hands in excitement when Ken landed safely onto the ground.

"Yay! He's okay!"

Yang became curious when she saw Ken's eagerness to get to the clearing. "Why is he in such a hurry? I figured he would jump on this chance to try and be alone. Wouldn't it be a better idea if he waited for the other's to pair up first before getting a relic?"

Blake thought about this for a moment. "He probably wants to see what the options are first. It's very likely that there is a relic that doesn't match the others."

Yang held her chin at the new logic. She nodded in agreement. "I guess so. But why would Professor Ozpin let a student go through Beacon without a team?"

"Probably for the same reason he launches them right into danger." The members of team JNPR had found their way to the amphitheater, although a little late. Nora hopped into her seat with a box of popcorn in her hand as Pyrrha and Jaune sat in their seats along the same row. Ren sat next to Yang as he finished his thought. "It's possible he's giving Ken a chance to work alone, and at the same time giving other teams the opportunity to join forces with him. He is a powerful warrior in his own way."

Jaune waved over at the girls. Weiss was the only one who gave him a look of disapproval.

"Hey guys! What did we miss?"

"Kenny's funny face when he was flung like ragdoll!" Yang replied. Ruby poked her sister's ribs, making her jump.

Nora, in her usual hyper tone, jumped up in excitement when she saw her new friend on the big screen.

"Oooh! Is that Kenny?! What is that he's wearing?! It's so cool!" Ren placed a hand on her shoulder. She giggled and sat back down.

Ruby thought for a moment, then agreed with Ren. "Maybe you're right. I just hope he won't forget about us."

Ren smiled at the small leader. "Trust me. He won't."

* * *

Ken had stopped and was hiding behind a tree. Just ahead, a pack of Beowolves were tearing apart a small group of unlucky Boarbatusks that had gotten in their way. They were feasting on the entrails loudly and messily and didn't even notice the Lone Wanderer nearby. Ken was still surprised at the primitive scene, but he waited patiently to see what would happen next. He formulated a plan should everything go south and at that very moment, a flash of orange zipped just up ahead and all the creatures toppled to the ground. Ken was stunned. He tried to trace the blur, but it had disappeared into the opposite side of the trees. Whoever, or whatever, that was, did one hell of a job.

He watched as a figure came into view from the trees. She wiped here weapons against the fur of the dead creatures and stood up. She looked around her immediate vicinity, the ears on her head scanning the trees. _'Oh no' _Ken thought, _'she knows I'm here.'_

He reset his stance to prepare to run. What he didn't realize was that the tree he was hiding under had twigs and branches scattered around its base. He froze when he heard a _crack_ at his heel. _'Damn.'_ He took off.

Ken didn't let himself look back as he continued to run from the girl. He hadn't gotten a good look at her, but he refused to give her a chance at locking her eyes with his. He confirmed that she was following him when he heard her yell.

"Hey! Wait! Come back!"

Ken recognized the soft voice. No doubt it was Gretchen. He cursed to himself for running away and not letting her become his partner, but he didn't want to take any risks involving teammates. He ducked behind a few bushes and immediately activated a Stealth Boy.

The cloaking device activated just in time. Gretchen came to a halt just a few steps away and she desperately looked around.

"Ken! Are you there? Hello?"

After a little while, Gretchen let out a sigh of defeat. She sadly looked down at her feet and kicked a pine cone into a bush.

"Ah, phooey. I was hoping we could be teammates."

Ken's heart dropped into his stomach. He hated himself for doing this, but he knew it was for the best. _'Sorry, kiddo. But we're both better off this way.'_

A loud rustling came from the bushes Gretchen had kicked the pine cone into and she looked at them curiously.

"Ken? Is that you?"

Ken hesitated. _'No, it's not.'_

Gretchen walked closer to the sound, her ears perking up in excitement.

"Ken! Come on out! We're almost to the ruins!"

A loud snarl emitted from the bushes. Gretchen hopped back quickly. An Ursa slashed at her from the shadows. She had barely any time to backflip out of the way, but she lost her balance as she tried to land. The Ursa was already coming at full speed and Gretchen tried to prepare a defensive dance. But it was too late.

Suddenly, the Ursa dropped dead. It landed at Gretchen's feet as she stared at it in shock. Ken was himself confused. He didn't do it.

A teen walked out from behind the creature and yawned as he made his way over to Gretchen. Ken questioned his sanity when he thought he saw the bushes the kid come out from move slightly, as if allowing him to pass without touching him. He shook the thought away. Ken saw he wasn't wearing any armor. In fact, this kid looks like he just got out of a business meeting. He was wearing a silky silver suit with matching colored pants and a black button shirt underneath. He wore thick frames with dark lenses that glistened in the sun. His jet black hair was thick and long enough to hide his ears. His hands were casually in his pockets as he slowly approached the young Faunus. Ken grunted under his breath. _'There's no way that kid took down that ugly in one blow.'_

The suited teen walked over to Gretchen and held out his hand. "Erwin Silver. I guess this means we are partners now."

Gretchen looked at the teen in surprise. "Um, hi. Gretchen Heartfire." She shook the slim hand.

Erwin smiled. He moved over to the dead Ursa and knelt down next to it. He extracted from the base of its neck what Ken thought looked like a thin, silver knife. Maybe a needle?

Erwin snapped his wrist, relieving his weapon of blood, and slipped it into his breast pocket. _'No.' _Ken was flooded with a strange realization. _'That's a pen!'_

"Ms. Heartfire. I suggest we continue our mission with due haste before more uninvited guests find us."

Gretchen sadly looked back in Ken's direction before nodding. "Yes. Let's."

* * *

The students in the amphitheater were shocked at the sudden flash. No one was expecting the sudden intervention as they were waiting for the Lone Wanderer to make his move. Nora threw her hands in the air in excitement as she watched the creatures fall in a heap, causing popcorn to rain all over the frustrated students in her area. Yang popped a kernel that landed on her lap into her mouth and nearly suffocated on it when she saw who had taken down the Beowolves.

"Holy- Ruby, isn't that Gretchen? From Signal?!"

Ruby looked a bit closer and gasped when she also recognized the fox Faunus. "Oh my Dust! It _is_ her! What's she doing at Beacon?"

Blake was surprised at the reaction of her teammates. "You know her?"

"Yeah!" Ruby put the rest of her waffle cone in her mouth. "She was a year ahead of me at Signal, but she still had one year left. She must have tested out."

Yang looked over at her partner. "She's the sweetest thing ever, although her past is quite… tragic."

Weiss tuned in. "What happened?"

"Well, the way I understand it is that both of her parents were killed during a Faunus civil rights rally." Ruby looked suddenly sad as she finished her thought. "She said the White Fang disrupted the protest with an explosion that killed many people, including Faunus."

Weiss began trembling at the sound of the group she despised to death. _'Those damn CRIMINALS!'_ she thought angrily. Blake placed a hand on the heiress' shaking fist and offered a smile and a nod. Weiss controlled herself and tried to smile back.

"Well, it looks like she got an upgrade since Signal!" Both teams looked at what Yang meant. The pretty copper haired girl was wearing very sophisticated attire. She had on a skin tight suit that covered her entire body up until her biceps and knees. The bright white material looked thick enough to be bullet proof and fire resistant. It zipped up from just underneath her bust to the top of her neck. She wore a utility belt around her waist that housed an opening on her right hip that looked like it was designed to hold her weapons. It also had compartments that possibly held Dust vials. She had dark red shoes on her feet that supported her ankles and had an opening at the toes. She was wearing a silver charm, which Blake immediately recognized as the one Ken had given her. The most prominent features were the golden markings around her arms and thighs that seemed to connect to the symbol on her back.

"Oh my, Ms. Heartfire!" Yang let out playful whistle. "You were always so shy! Looks like she discovered the power of her looks!"

The boys in the area seemed to agree with Yang's observation. They were whistling loudly at the screen and even Jaune blushed a bit, despite Pyrrha's look of envy.

"That symbol," someone in the crowd asked, "What is it?"

"It is the ying and yang." Pyrrha replied. She had seen the symbol before in her own studies and knew its meaning to heart. "The very balance between light and dark. And you call yourself a student at Beacon?"

Everyone laughed at the poor student's question as he quickly shrunk in his seat. The room went quiet when Gretchen suddenly took off after the Lone Wanderer, trying desperately to make eye contact with him. People booed at Ken for running away but were immediately astonished as Ken tapped his device and turned invisible in the blink of an eye.

"WHAT?! How did he do that? Where'd he go?!"

"Is that his Semblance? THAT'S AWESOME!"

Ken's friends were caught by surprise by the tricks up his sleeve yet again, no pun intended. To the students that weren't acquainted with him, this was the coolest magic show they have ever witnessed. To the members of team RWBY and JNPR: well, it was also a pretty cool show, but they knew that Ken was intelligent and figured he had a plan.

The students became surprised once again at the sudden appearance of Erwin Silver. Some people didn't seem to approve of his attire while most of the girls seemed too busy giggling at how good looking he was.

"His hair is so…voluminous!"

"He's so handsome!"

Yang this time didn't agree with the room. "Hah! A guy dressed like that is probably too busy caring about his looks. Besides, Ken is much hotter!" She noticed Weiss' cheeks were slightly red and was staring at the suited teen with a certain admiration. Yang laughed. "Looks like he's a perfect fit for the Ice Princess over here!"

Weiss' blush turned as red as the inside of her coat. "N-no! That's not- I said don't call me that! And I'm not attracted to him at all!"

The others snickered as Weiss desperately tried to hide her feelings. Their attention turned back to the screen when the newly matched pair finally dashed into the trees.

* * *

Ken waited a while after the pair disappeared before continuing on his own journey. He still had time on his Stealth Boy before it expired, so he decided to take advantage of it and avoid being spotted. He stuck to the shadows and only ran when the coast was clear. He came out into a clearing and scowled when he realized it was the wrong one. This one was covered with giant boulders and rocks, as if a rock slide happened some time ago. He came up to the rocks and touched one that was taller than he was. It had strange markings carved deep into the stone, some of them resembling people. He then noticed a giant opening to his left. He walked up to it and tapped the wall with his knuckle. A hissing sound responded from inside the cave. Ken froze. _'Oops.' _He decided whatever was inside was trying to get some sleep, so he turned on his heel and paced quickly away. He had continued walking north when he heard the hissing sound only get louder behind him. He ducked underneath the shadow of a tree and waited patiently.

A giant Grimm crawled out of the mouth of the cave. Ken immediately recognized it as a scorpion. Only this thing dwarfed the average Giant Radscorpions of the wasteland. It was much bigger, and not to mention incredibly pissed off. It moved away from the cave and stopped not far from Ken, hissing angrily in his direction and snapping its giant pincers.

Ken looked down at the floor. It was blocked by his knees. _'Oh. Well, fuck.'_

Ken bolted. He made sure he dropped something that would hopefully buy him enough time. The giant scorpion screeched loudly and began to give chase to its new prey, knocking over trees and boulders that were in the way. As it tried to catch up, a loud explosion echoed throughout the forest and the scorpion was caught by surprise when a number of sharp bottle caps sunk underneath its unprotected abdomen. Ken felt the tremors slow down behind him and was relieved when he saw another clearing ahead. _'I hope this is it.'_

He entered the opening and was astonished by the view of the ruins. He slowed down and made sure that the giant Grimm wasn't following before jogging over to the center of the clearing. Old pieces of stone and clay littered its center, but for the most part they still looked intact. He walked up over to them and noticed that in the center were three smaller pillars clustered together. He saw that each pillar had a stand that held a single relic: face cards.

He studied them a moment. He remembered playing poker with Amada back in the vault when the Overseer had strictly forbidden it. He was surprised to see that these were the only options, and that none of them had been selected yet. _'Huh. I was sure Gretchen and that suited guy would get here first.'_ The one on the left was the King of Hearts. Ken considered taking this one but noticed that the one on the right was the Queen of Hearts. He thought a moment at the words of the headmaster and the advice Ruby's team had given him. He looked at the final option in the center and smiled when he knew what his decision was. The Ace of Spades. He plucked the card from its stand and studied it a moment. It felt right. He knew people in the wasteland that would use this card to describe him: some would say it was for good luck, others would say it was for death. It finally glowed green as Ken stored the relic in his inventory.

The giant scorpion burst into the clearing, making Ken dodge an incoming tree that nearly toppled over the remaining relics in the center. Ken materialized _Miss_ _Launcher_, readying its target reticle to land a projectile just underneath its belly. The giant creature hissed loudly and trotted side to side, making Ken's accuracy much more difficult. The creature let out another loud screech as it began to charge, only to be met in the face by an object from high in the sky.

A woman landed with an incredible amount of force onto the creature's armor. Her feet emitted a loud sound that even drowned out the dying creature's final cry of agony as its armor cracked and caved. The shockwave knocked Ken off his feet and forced him to drop his weapon. He stumbled to his feet and readied his Blackhawk at the monster, only to discover it was dead, and the woman had already hopped off and was walking towards him. Ken immediately turned and grabbed his launcher from the ground to try and avoid her gaze when he noticed the darker man he had seen on the cliff was moving towards him from the opposite side of the tree line. Ken sighed in defeat. _'Well, they sure don't make this easy for me.'_

The man walked up to Ken and nodded. "You must be the Lone Wanderer."

Ken was surprised by the dark man's heavy accent and knowledge of who he was. "Huh. I thought people thought I was the Lonely Walker."

The dark man laughed and walked over to the woman who was now looking curiously at the relics. He turned to Ken. "I am Canton Brosnan. This is my partner Regina Oliveira."

Ken sighed in relief when he realized these two were already paired. The girl named Regina smiled and waved at Ken. When Ken waved back, she made a sign with her hands. She wiped her palms once, then made a loose fist and pointed her pinky at him. Ken didn't know how to respond and for a second thought she was insulting him somehow. Canton laughed at Ken's confused face.

"She says it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh." Ken stored his launcher and walked over to the pair. "Well, likewise. The name is Kenneth Ramirez. Good to see you two made it."

"Thank you."

Ken smiled. It was now that he noticed how tender these two were with each other. They looked a lot alike: dark skin with long dread locks, their attire seemed made of Grimm skin and bones along with what looked like real leather, and they both had bright blue eyes. Ken was astonished at the sight of the two and theorized they were siblings. Regina wore shorts that came midway down her thighs and wore a black rope around her waist with golden feathers on the tips. Her shirt looked like it was made by hand and was made of a brown leather which only covered just above her navel and was sleeveless. Her dread locks were decorated with different color beads and a single feather was resting where her right ear was hidden. Ken then observed her feet and was surprised to see that she was wearing high heels. These looked strange, like they were made of metal. The soles were thick and the stems looked hollow. The rest of the shoes looked like the standard combat leather Ken was familiar with, only it came up close to her knees and was tied with a thick lace. Canton had on similar attire, only he didn't wear a shirt at all and his pants had bones covering his major arteries. He simply wore sandals unlike his partner and he had a leather harness across his body. A tattoo of a dragon ran from his right shoulder blade down to the back of his hand. Attached to the harness Ken saw what was possibly his weapon, although he was surprised to see it looked like it was made of wood and only had a single string that held it across Canton's strong chest. Ken then noticed that his pants were tied at the waist by a white rope with the same golden feathers at the tips. Ken's curiosity now had to be satisfied.

"Are you two related?" Ken smiled at the duo as he asked his question innocently.

"No, but we are lifelong friends and we come from the same tribe."

"Really?" A tribe? In a world as civilized as this? Now Ken was definitely curious. "I didn't know tribes would still be around?"

"The tribes in Vytal are allowed to thrive in their own independent way should they wish to do so." The dark man beamed as Regina showed him her selection, which was the Queen of Hearts. She smiled sweetly at him. "We come from a long line of Shadow Dancers."

Ken was haunted by the name. Canton turned to him as he held Regina's hand and smiled at the Lone Wanderer.

"I suggest we begin our return. We have our objective and we can now return to the headmaster."

Ken looked at the remaining relic. "What about the others?"

Canton shook his head. "They will arrive when they can. Have faith, Lone Wanderer. They are here at Beacon for a reason." With that, the two tribal warriors began running back to the direction of the cliff. Ken hesitated before sprinting after them, hoping the best for the remaining two students.

* * *

"It can see him! Run, Lonely Walker! Run!"

"It's 'Lone Wanderer'!" Yang was upset by the other student's stupidity. "At least get it right!"

"Did that device keep him cloaked?" Ren observed the Pip-Boy curiously. "It seems to have run out of power."

"Ken can hold a lot of cool stuff in his inventory." Ruby squeaked in surprise when the bottle cap mine exploded, slowing down the giant Deathstalker that was giving chase.

Yang finished her baby sister's thought as she rubbed her back in an effort to comfort her. "He might have something with him that can make him invisible. I doubt it's his Semblance since his Aura was just activated recently."

Ren nodded in understanding. The students watched as the Lone Wanderer finally entered the ruins of the Emerald Forest. Some students seemed shocked at the selection of relics available. Pyrrha was the first to ask.

"How come Professor Ozpin changed the relics for these students?"

"It could be to keep the new students in their own teams! All our teams are already formed and he said that the max was four members!" Pyrrha gratefully waved at the student that yelled from a few rows away.

The audience replied to Ken's selection of the Ace of Spades with loud _ooh_'s and _ah_'s. It seemed fitting for him and many students expressed their eagerness to become allies with the warrior from another world. Everyone in the chamber jumped in surprise as the giant Deathstalker crashed into the clearing. People again reacted in astonishment as Ken pulled out his shoulder mounted weapon and were excited to see him use it. Blake felt eager at the sight of _Miss_ _Launcher_, as he called it. It was the weapon he used to buy her enough time to get away from an attack, and she couldn't help feeling grateful towards the inanimate object.

Before Ken could show the devastating power of his weapon, the Deathstalker was crushed by a dark women that looked as though she came from the sky. The people in the room cheered loudly at the new student's crushing blow from above. Weiss was the only one who didn't as she was studying the girl's features in detail. She gasped.

"A Shadow Dancer? At Beacon? I thought they only sent out members of their clan at certain times!"

Blake couldn't help feeling a little frustrated at being the only one to not recognize someone with a nifty background. She rolled her eyes as the others turned to the heiress in curiosity.

"Whoa. The who?" Jaune asked.

"The Shadow Dancers are a local tribe along the border of Vytal that have lived in seclusion for generations and are the only ones to successfully do so. They are believed to be direct descendants of the first survivors that encountered the Grimm on Remnant."

Everyone stared in awe at the new faces as a second tribal walked up and interacted with the Lone Wanderer. Pyrrha then straightened her back and hopped in her seat when she herself remembered the legend. Jaune furiously waved his arms in an attempt to remain in his seat when his partner turned into all elbows. She caught him just in time.

"The Shadow Dancers are better known for their fierce martial art that is focused on just kicks." She looked over at Weiss. "How did you know about them?"

Weiss watched as the trio began to run back towards the cliff. She smirked as Pyrrha asked her question.

"Well. A long time ago I knew someone who was a member of the tribe."

* * *

Ken stayed just behind to the two Shadow Dancers as they neared the cliff. He couldn't help but feel himself much faster than before and he cherished how incredibly light he felt. The jumpsuit truly was remarkable with its new additions, and he could feel his Aura circulating him as if it were his own blood. _'I can get used to this!'_ he sung in his mind.

Canton and Regina came to a dead stop in the middle of the trees and Ken had to dig his heels into the dirt in order to stop himself. He looked at the two in concern.

"What is it?" He noticed they were exchanging hand signs with each other and Ken figured they were formulating a plan. He looked ahead towards the cliff. Its face was not too far in the distance, but they still had a ways to go and no time to lose. Ken was then hit with a sudden realization. _'Wait a second. How come the Grimm haven't collected like they did in the Forever Fall forest?'_

"Kenneth!" Canton ran over to the Lone Wanderer. "Regina has detected movement up ahead. We will engage the enemy and we were hoping you could provide fire support."

Ken looked directly into the man's eyes and nodded. He loaded his golden repeater and activated its lever. "You can count on me. On your mark."

Canton grabbed the Lone Wanderer's shoulder and shook it in thanks. He then jogged back over to his partner and exchanged a sign before readying himself. A second went by before the heavy accent echoed through the forest once again.

"Mark!"

Ken sprinted after the two fast warriors. They moved past a few more trees before Regina took point and launched herself into the air and sent her foot straight into the skull of a Beowolf. The creature howled in pain as it flew through the air and disappeared over the tree tops. Ken came up to the now waiting duo and released a few rounds into another creature that tried to flank them, taking it down quickly before it could. He scanned the trees and became worried when he didn't see any more targets.

"Clear. Everything alright?"

Regina shook her head. Canton stepped forward and unslung his bow-like weapon.

"No. We are being hunted."

Ken looked over at the man in confusion. He knew that was what these creatures did. They hunted humans. But something the way he said it suggested that something was…out of place.

"Isn't that what Grimm do? Hunt us?"

"Yes." Canton steadied himself and searched the perimeter for movement. "But these creatures are smarter than their fellow Grimm. Their brains are similar to ours, only they are primitive."

Ken gulped as a bead of sweat ran down his face. "What are they?"

"Specters."

Ken continued scanning the area when Canton spoke again.

"Ken. We will handle this. Continue your way to the cliff and we will meet you there."

Ken fed his weapon more rounds and cranked its lever. "Not a chance. I'm not just going to leave you to take all the fun."

Canton grinned. "Very well."

A loud chattering suddenly rang through the forest. Ken instinctively covered his ears as the high pitched sounds grew louder and converged on the group. He retook his aim towards the trees, only to discover that his ears were now pulsing in pain. He saw they were being surrounded by small Grimm that had human-like features and were the cause of the ear splitting sound. He tried to get a better look, but the chattering only grew louder. Ken screamed in pain. His rifle fell to the ground as he desperately covered his ears to try and drown out the sound. One of the creatures took advantage of Ken's defenselessness and charged, bringing a giant fist up underneath his chin.

Ken was caught by Regina as he lost his balance from the blow. He was thankful to the girl and he felt his Aura had absorbed the hit. Regina placed him back on his feet and immediately turned towards Canton. He nodded and pulled out what looked like a long metal knife from behind him. The creatures slowly began to close in, taking their time as they noticed the dark man pull out what was possibly his weapon. Canton tapped the string of his bow with the blunt end of the blade. The chattering immediately stopped. Ken took his opportunity and snagged his weapon. The creatures that surrounded the group were confused by the sound the bow had made and seemed intimidated by it. They snarled at the instrument, chattering among themselves as if trying to identify it. Canton continued to tap his string rhythmically as the creatures howled in response, waiting to see what it would do. Canton took a deep breath, and began to sing.

_**Sonhei que eu tava no cais da Bahia,**__  
_**_Sonhei que ouvi o Berimbau tocar,_**_  
_**_Sonhei que eu tava no cais da Bahia,_**_  
_**_Sonhei, sonhei nao queria acordar_**

As Canton finished his final lyric, Regina dashed towards her first target. The creature was caught off guard when she planted her right heel straight into its open mouth as it screamed. The sound of the creatures call echoed and immediately amplified inside the hollow metal, causing the head of the animal to disappear in a mist of its own blood. Regina quickly landed on her same foot and swung her hips in a circular motion, causing her other heel to swing around and make two more creatures lose their heads. She continued to swing herself to the rhythm of Canton's bow, planting her heels perfectly into every single face she wished. Ken was astonished at the sight of Regina dashing in circles and effortlessly landing her strikes without even having to look at her targets. Her kicks dangerously and rhythmically moved in perfect unison to the song and every one of her victims was destroyed as the sounds of their demise only added to the rhythm. _'Shadow Dancers…'_

Regina continued her movements even after Canton had stopped playing his string and stopped the lunge of an incoming Specter. He was still singing loudly as he shoved his long knife into its heart. Ken saw that these Grimm were engaging their counter attack and began firing his weapon to try and cover his two new comrades. These things were fast. As Ken fired his final .44, he switched to his trusty gauntlet and joined in on the hand to hand combat.

Ken clawed at a Specter as it hurled itself towards him. He caught in its face mask and shoved the sharp ends of the claw into its heart as it stood stunned. It opened its wide mouth and screamed in a final attempt to subdue its killer before it dropped to the ground. It was immediately replaced by two more behind it, both of which sent their giant open hands straight into Ken's chest. His Aura responded to the impact but wasn't able to absorb it completely as he was sent backwards on the ground towards his allies. They had taken down at least two dozen Specters as they turned to engage Ken's attackers. The two Specters ran on their hind legs, their hands and mouths opening widely as they came closer to the group.

Two giant pieces of ice met both creatures before they could make it, one in the eye and the other in the abdomen. Ken looked behind him and saw that Canton had finished his chanting and had fired the ice using his bow. His hand was covered in a cyan colored rosin and Ken finally realized it was Dust as Canton fired another ice round into a final creature's throat. It tried to pull out the projectile to try and scream for help, but instead collapsed in a deep puddle of dark blood.

Ken jumped to his feet and swiped another creature away that jumped from a branch. More Specters sprung from the tree tops and caught the Dancers of guard, flinging them onto the ground and stunning them. Ken switched out for his claw for his revolver. He took down his friend's aggressors with a bullet each. At that moment, he saw another wave of the small creatures charging towards them. Ken grimaced. He could feel his adrenaline pumping through him again. His emotions began to take over at the sight of his downed comrades, and he could feel the primitive part of him becoming angry. _'Damn. Looks like a good time as any.'_

Reloading his revolver, Ken stepped closer to the incoming wave, putting himself in between the still recovering tribals and the incoming wave. He heard Canton yelling something, but his voice was already drowned out by the loud chattering of the incoming Grimm. This time, Ken didn't flinch at the sound. Just as they came within range and shot towards him, Ken tapped a command into his Pip-Boy.

What happened next would be described by any witnesses as 'it happened so fast I barely noticed I had blinked.' But to the Lone Wanderer? Time became simply another calculation. He felt the familiar sensation of the world around him come to a steady halt. He grinned as he took his time to analyze his situation.

_'Eight targets. Six rounds. Ninety six percent minimum chance of hitting each. I almost forgot how easy this could be.'_ Playing out the situation in his head and deciding on improvising for the last two enemies, Ken took a deep breath, and aimed his scope.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six Grimm corpses flew past Ken as he squeezed his trigger each time. Once the last bullet did its job, everything suddenly returned to its normal rhythm. Quickly, Ken switched to his Super Sledge and swung it in a circle in front of him. He caught the seventh demon right in the face mask, causing it to shatter and killing the creature instantly. The final imp landed on the ground right in front of Ken and intended to swing its sharp tail at him. It wasn't fast enough to beat the massive device, however, as it landed right on top of its skull, obliterating it completely.

Ken turned around at the sound of more Grimm. The other two initiates had taken down a few straggling Specters and looked ready for more action. It was now that Ken noticed his anger had finally reached its boiling point. He swung his Sledge onto his back and reloaded his Blackhawk. He jogged over to the tree line and stopped just before it. His Aura shined brightly as Canton came up behind the Lone Wanderer.

"Kenneth." Canton slung his instrument over his shoulder. "We must go."

"No!" The two Shadow Dancers stepped back in surprise to Ken's suddenly deeper voice. "You go! The others should have been here by now!"

"Listen to me, Lone Wanderer." Canton softly placed his hand on Ken's shoulder. He was surprised at the feel of his Aura pushing at his own. "This is part of their test. They will be alright."

Ken propelled his Aura to push Canton away. He angrily turned to him and Canton was forced to step back as Ken closed in on him.

"And you would just allow for your comrades to suffer and die out here in this hell?! You would just simply run away and keep yourself safe while they get mauled and eaten by these DEMONS?!"

The Lone Wanderer stomped on the skull of one of the dead creatures. It splattered underneath the sheer power. "I WILL NOT ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN!"

Canton raised his right hand towards Regina, who had readied herself into a low stance behind Ken. She didn't move despite his request.

"Alright. You are absolutely correct. We should wait here and provide our friends with the cover they need for all of our escapes."

Canton was relieved to see Ken's Aura subside slightly. Regina stood up straight, though she kept an eye on him as he turned back towards the forest. Without another word, Ken took off back into the woods, determined to find the other two initiates, despite whatever fate they may have met.

* * *

"Oooooo, it looks like Weiss had a boyfriend!" Yang teased Weiss as she angrily stood up from her seat and addressed the giggling blonde.

"It wasn't a boyfriend! Don't be so quick to judge!"

"Funny coming from you." Weiss shot Blake a dirty look as she smiled sweetly at her. Weiss crossed her arms and sat back down.

"When I was a little girl, I had heard of the Shadow Dancers as well as the legend of their past. I really wanted to see them in action and after a little while of searching, my father finally was able to convince the Chieftain to send a small group of the tribe to join us for dinner." She smiled as she recalled the details of the night. "They performed for us that night. It was…incredible. I met someone around my own age that had joined us that night and he even taught me some basics."

Ruby couldn't contain her happiness as she lunged across Blake to hug her partner.

"You are the sweetest partner EVER!"

"Ah! Ruby, stop that!" Weiss yelled. Ruby finally unlatched herself when Blake was struggling to catch her own breath.

"Sorry Blake."

"Uh oh." Yang was pointing at the screen now. "It looks like Specters have found them. And a large pack, too."

The students in the chamber became dead silent. They knew what these creatures were capable of. These Grimm were much faster and more organized than any of the Grimm on Remnant and as a result were the most dangerous. They resembled the average monkey, only these creatures had fangs that were long and sharp. They had large, hooked spikes at the end of their tails that they used to catch and ensnare their prey. Their masks were similar to the other Grimm, with a single red dot in the center of the forehead and a long red streak underneath both bright red eyes. The only advantage Hunters would have when facing them would be that Specters were small and had little armor, so it was relatively easier to hit a vital organ with a single hit. But they are fast and always travel in groups, making it difficult to take them down efficiently. Plus, their cries alone can cause physical damage to the eardrums, especially when their congress has more than a dozen members. The atmosphere of the amphitheater was covered in a sudden chill as the initiates stopped and were waiting for their new predators to show themselves. Everyone clutched their ears as the chattering rang through the speakers. The volume was immediately turned down when it did, allowing the students to finally relax.

"I don't know about you guys, but I never want to have to fight those things." Jaune was a bit more sheepish then usual at the sound. He finally relaxed when Pyrrha hugged his arm.

"Agreed." Ren replied. He rubbed his hand on Nora's back who was frightened by the sound. Her sudden drop in activity took its toll on everyone as they watched in silence.

Hope returned to the audience as Canton began to play his instrument. Everyone clutched the edge of their seats as they anxiously waited for him to activate it somehow. A lot of people were stunned when he unexpectedly began to sing. Weiss simply smiled when she heard it.

Everyone began to cheer again as Regina effortlessly began to demolish the imps with her deadly dance. She took down her enemies in only a matter of seconds as Canton continued to play his beat. Yang turned to Weiss.

"Is that a weapon?"

"It's called a berimbau. It serves simply as a percussion instrument, but that one has a string that looks strong enough to be used like a bow." Her theory was confirmed when Canton used Dust to fire three ice projectiles into the remaining Specters. "And he has good taste, too."

The chilling silence returned when they saw the initiates become suddenly subdued by more of the imps from above. But they suddenly cheered again when Ken took down the sudden attackers. Everyone grew anxious when Ken faced the incoming group of fresh Specters that was coming at full speed. What they didn't expect, was that those very same imps would be dead long before they reached the Lone Wanderer, and it would all happen within a split second.

"Whoa! What happened?"

"That was fast! Did he do that?"

Blake was astonished when she witnessed Ken's lightning fast attacks. Dust, that was way faster than she could ever shoot! And every kill was a headshot! Ruby cheered loudly at Ken's victory next to her.

"How did he shoot so fast?!" Ruby was on her feet now and was staring at the screen intently. "That was cool!"

"Another trick?" Ren inquired.

"Maybe." Blake replied. Though she had a feeling that Ken used his device to his advantage again. If that was the case, well, no wonder he was so fond of it.

The audience once again fell silent as they saw Ken was now very angry. The volume rose slightly and the students heard the Lone Wanderer yelling loudly. The audience was just as stunned as the other two initiates were at his words. Ken then sprinted through the tree line, followed closely by the tribal warriors. A moment of quiet went by before a girl in the front row stood from her seat. She broke the silent air with the sound of her hands. Slowly, more people got up from their seats and repeated the gesture. Finally, everyone in the amphitheater joined the clapping, and the beat of the applause escalated in volume and speed. People were cheering as loud as they could and some were even yelling, convinced that the Lone Wanderer would somehow hear them. Yang pumped her fist triumphantly in the air. Ruby jumped up and down where she stood. Blake clapped along with everyone else. Weiss simply stared at the screen in disbelief. Ken had no idea the effect his words had on his soon-to-be classmates, and from now on, he was no longer alone.

* * *

**A/N: So, how was it? Please let me know in a review! I hope the back and forth wasn't too disorienting, but I like how it came out.**

**Canton is singing in Portuguese, for those of you wondering. The song is called "Roda da paz". The martial art the Shadow Dancers use is Brazilian Capoeira, one of my absolute favorites. I'm really excited to include it in my story! I hope you guys like it! Oh yeah, and Ken did indeed use V.A.T.S. **

**Now for my announcement. Next week Wednesday I will have my usual update. The bad news is that the following Wednesday, there will be no update. Now, before you go on a witch hunt for me, please hear me out! I have been out of town for the last few days (by the way, sorry it took me so long to get back to those who reviewed!) and I'm a little out of whack. I want to take a week break because I am preparing for a new semester and I'm adjusting a new work schedule. I also want to take time to polish the chapters I already have and work on getting more chapters written. So far I only have 2 solid chapters in the hopper, and the rest is just..bleh. I am humbled that you all are enjoying this story just as much as I'm writing it. I love this. I'm passionate about this. And I want to make sure I give you guys the BEST story I possibly can. Please, hang in there with me. I promise I won't let you down!**

**As always, please, please, PLEASE don't shy away from dropping me a review! A follow and favorite is also much appreciated! I wish I could hug you all! Thanks for the continued love and support and I will now stop ranting! See you guys next week!**

**Kind regards,**

**Just another fan.**


	12. Chapter 11: Team CRGE

**A/N: Welcome back! Slightly shorter chapter, but it wraps up the last one. Please enjoy!**

* * *

_Chapter 11: Team CRGE_

Ken angrily tore through the trees back towards the ruins in the forest. More Specters were trying to tackle him, but he simply swatted them away with his claw as if they were flies. He could hear his fellow warriors just behind him, their powerful weapons slashing through anything coming up from the rear. Ken felt his anger grow at the thought that maybe they were too late, or maybe the students they were looking for had already passed them. _'No.'_ He struggled to rationalize with himself. _'They can make it, but they probably encountered these damn things and were held back. They'll need help.'_

Just ahead, he saw a pack of Ursi charging towards him at full speed. Quickly, he pulled out his plasma rifle and disintegrated the first two he saw. The others slipped into the pile of goo and clumsily toppled over each other. Canton took this chance and fired a shot of crimson Dust, causing the creatures to burst into flames and die a slow, charred death. The trio flew past the burning ash pile and entered into the ruins where the relics could be found.

Near the center of the ruins, Ken found Gretchen and Erwin back to back. They were quickly being surrounded by a scaly body of black and white, the sight of which sent shivers down his spine. The strange body was slithering and hissing loudly as it covered the two initiates in the center. When he got close enough, Ken saw the creature was a two headed snake. _'What in God's name is that?!' _His thoughts were interrupted when the loud chattering began yet again from the direction of the cliff. Canton aimed his bow towards the sound and Regina planted into a deep stance and waited for her rhythm.

"Kenneth. Provide support for our friends. We will buy you whatever time we can."

Ken didn't need to acknowledge the two warriors. He already brought out _Miss_ _Launcher_ and was waiting for a good moment to engage the target. The two partners hadn't noticed that reinforcements had arrived due to the fact that the giant snake had already encircled them. Ken finally saw his opportunity when the black head turned to him and hissed, opening its mouth wide like a hungry baby bird. Ken let loose a projectile right into the creature's throat. It hissed loudly in agony and immediately shook its large head in an effort to spit out the unwelcome mouthful. The munition exploded, turning the giant snake head into nothing more than blood and burnt scales. The white half hissed loudly in pain and dove towards the Lone Wanderer. He promptly dodged the attack, leaving the snake to sink its fangs into the spot he once stood. Ken already had his plasma rifle ready and fired the rest of his battery into the giant red eye. It popped like a balloon and the creature hissed loudly as its face slowly melted in its place.

Ken loaded his final battery into his weapon and stored it. He hoped he could conserve his most effective weapon. Gretchen and Erwin sighed in relief when they saw Ken and hurried over to him.

Ken grinned at the two students. "Being tardy won't help you at Beacon, you know?"

Erwin laughed while Gretchen gave Ken a dirty look. "Well, at least we know we can get notes from you," replied the spectacled teen.

"Why did you come back?" Gretchen asked impatiently.

Ken looked over at the fox Faunus and gave her an apologetic smile. "Just wanted to make sure you guys were okay. I got worried when I beat you to the clearing. Did you two get your relic?"

Erwin held up his card and smiled. "King of Hearts."

The chattering got louder and Ken saw that the Shadow Dancers were having trouble holding back the crowd of Specters coming their way. "No more small talk." Ken said firmly, "We have work to do."

Ken pulled out his Blackhawk while Erwin and Gretchen prepared themselves just behind him. He fired all six of his rounds and took down a Specter with each. His final round even wounded an extra imp that was a bit too close to another's rear. When the tribals finally were swamped and backed away from the endlessly growing crowd, the three civilized warriors sprinted to take their place and engaged the fast Grimm. Ken swiped left and right, clearing many of the imps with each strike from his Deathclaw Gauntlet. Erwin threw his sharp pen straight into the eye of a Specter that had attacked and went clean through three more behind it. The pen zipped through the air, carving its way through flesh and wood seamlessly and finally returned to its owner's hand. Gretchen was incredibly fast and had no trouble slicing off limbs of the evil creatures in a powerful counter attack. Ken took a moment to study her movements. He finally noticed how she was able to cut through her enemies with little resistance: she had a sickle in each hand that looked like they were covered in an orange glow. No doubt it was her Aura and Ken realized she uses it to make the blades of her weapons that much deadlier.

He cleared out a few more imps and turned to watch Erwin. He was astounded when he saw the teen in a suit simply stand there with his hands in his pockets while his pen encircled him at an incredible speed. It sliced through anything that came too close and it almost looked as though it had a mind of its own. Erwin then raised a finger. Suddenly, the pen zipped above it. It began spinning like a propeller blade and was covered in a silver glow. He flicked his finger and the saw blade sliced through the rest of the attacking imps. The corpses of the remaining creatures collapsed in unison and their heads rolled away. Erwin caught his weapon as it returned to him, flicked his wrist, and slipped the pen back into its pocket.

"Simple enough." Erwin pushed his thick frames back onto the bridge of his nose. "Shall we continue?"

Everyone stepped over to him and gaped at the sudden show from the teen. He grinned at the reaction everyone was giving him.

"How…?"

"Semblance. Telekinesis." Erwin left everyone in their suspense as he began jogging towards the cliff. The others finally began to follow when they lost sight of him in the trees.

* * *

The initiates were closing in on their final objective. They were not foolish, however. They knew that getting this far was only the beginning, and their final test would await them near the cliff. Ken took Ruby's advice to heart and did his best to conserve his Aura. Everyone finally heard a loud growl just past the tree line.

Ken reloaded his revolver as he ran, Gretchen fired up her blades, Erwin clicked his pen with his thumb, and the Shadow Dancers exchanged a hand sign. These warriors, even as they maneuvered through the trees at top speed, were ready before they even entered the final opening in front of the cliff.

When they finished running through the forest and broke the tree line, the initiates were about to be met by yet another group of Specters that was climbing up the lip of the cliff. They screamed loudly and swarmed at full speed towards them, maneuvering around the fallen stone of the ruins like an evil black river.

Canton yelled over the loud chattering. "Ken! Take Gretchen and Erwin! Try and overwhelm this crowd from the right! Regina and I will take the left!"

Ken replied at the top of his lungs. "Shouldn't we stay together?"

"No! They're too fast! We will get pinned down immediately! We need to force them into a tight group before they do it to us!"

Ken materialized the weapon of his hulking companion onto his back. "Okay! Let's do this!"

The two forces collided in the center of the ruins. A handful of imp corpses were flung backwards as they met the powerful wrath of Fawkes' Super Sledge from underneath. Ken splattered a few more with a horizontal swing and used the powerful moment to roll to the right. Three Specters tried to meet him at the spot he rolled to but were met with the sharp blades of the fox Faunus. Her Kamas were no more than a blur as she spun in circles, cutting multiple limbs with each strike. Erwin rolled right alongside Ken and tossed his pen through another imp's skull. He then conjured it to orbit the three warriors to protect them from more incoming Specters.

Canton had begun to sing again, but this time he joined in with his partner in a synchronized death dance. Regina's heels proved incredibly effective against the loud sounds of the Specters as they focused the sound waves and bounced back the concentrated power. Canton used his sharp knife to finish each of his kicks and also to aggravate multiple imps to make them scream, giving Regina the ammunition she needed to continue her dance.

The group surrounded the now decreasing number Specters. Ken slammed his hammer into the faces of the imps as they tried to escape their position. Finally, Canton shot an explosive round into the center and violently destroyed the remaining Grimm.

Ken walked up to an injured Specter and curb stomped it out of its misery. He swept the area with his repeater out of habit.

"Clear. All targets neutralized."

The same loud growl responded from the bottom of the cliff. Ken looked in the direction of the sound. "Okay, maybe not."

Suddenly, a giant hand reached out of the crevice and pounded the lip; the resulting quake caused the initiates to lose their balance. The giant fingers were larger than the pillars in the ruins and sunk deep into the dirt when another giant hand grabbed the lip. A giant head followed behind. The eyes attached to it were bigger than an Ursa Major and their brightness rivaled the power of the sun. Its mask was covered in detailed red markings and its pointed fangs passed its giant chin. The giant creature roared loudly and began to pump its fists into its chest, causing the earth to shake. Ken struggled to his feet and flinched at the sound.

"What the-"

"Kong Master!" Canton yelled. "Everyone take cover!"

The initiates ducked underneath the rubble of the ruins as the Kong Master pounded its fist into the dirt. Pieces of stone began to fall off the tall ruins from the resulting quake, forcing Ken and Gretchen to dive out of the way to avoid being crushed by the incoming debris. The giant Grimm saw its opportunity and opened its massive mouth. Green saliva spurted out of the crevice and almost covered the two who had sprinted out of range just in time. The strange liquid managed to make contact with the rubble in the ruins and slowly began to eat away at everything it touched. Ken observed the strange sight and winced at the powerful fumes.

"It's corrosive! Keep your distance!"

The Kong Master screeched again, this time emitting a different sound. Canton flushed out the battle field with a shot of water Dust, washing out most of the thick goo.

"It is calling for reinforcements! We have to silence it!"

Ken scrambled for ideas. He could hear more Specters screeching in response from deep within the forest. They were running out of time. They needed a plan. Damn it! Ken thought hard, recalling the time he escaped the Forever fall forest…

"Canton! Burn the trees!"

Canton looked at the Lone Wanderer in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"JUST DO IT!"

Reaching into his leather pouch, Canton covered his hand with the crimson powder once more. He fired multiple shots into the forest, making sure the fire raged red hot. Ken heard the incoming imps slow down and howl in surprise. A few of the imps didn't have time to react, and as a result they flew straight through the wall of flames and slowly burned to death. The flames ate at the trees in the area and grew over their tops. He turned and faced the giant ape and noticed it too was upset by the sudden explosion. He grinned.

"Gretchen! Can you keep it distracted?"

The fox Faunus nodded. "I'm on it!"

Ken felt the hairs on the back of his neck begin to rise. Thinking that a storm was coming, he looked up to the sky and was surprised to see there were no clouds. A burst of energy emitted from Gretchen's position, causing Ken to flinch and assume the worst. He quickly turned to her.

Instead, the fox Faunus was covered from head to toe in a powerful orange lightning. She raised her sickles and before Ken could even gasp, she had bolted towards the giant creature and was ready to do her part.

Ken shook away his shock and looked at Erwin, who was equally stunned.

"Silver! Make sure those reinforcements don't regroup!"

Erwin acknowledged the Lone Wanderer's order with a thumbs up and ran towards the fire. Canton and Regina were running towards Ken when a small group of Specters burst through the flames, fumbling violently onto the pair. Regina was knocked off balance as she tried to fight one off, but the demon latched on tightly. The sudden impact propelled Regina the rest of the distance towards the cliff and before she could try and stand, another flamed imp attached itself to her and sent both of them off the cliff.

"REGINA!" Canton tried to stand and run to his lifelong friend when he was suddenly ensnared by a Specter's sharp tail. Erwin tossed his pen and pierced the heart of the creature, but Canton had already taken a direct hit and couldn't get up in time.

Ken was already sprinting to the edge. He didn't stop when the rational part of his brain tried to stop him._ 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"_

He dove off the cliff and spearheaded his way towards the Shadow Dancer. She had fought off the Specters and was now struggling to gain control of her fall. Ken realized he had no plan, but he grabbed hold of Regina the moment he came close to her and tapped into his Pip-Boy. He quickly tossed his chain dart into the rocky wall and clawed the surface with his gauntlet. Regina had latched herself onto his back and sunk her right heel into the rock, taking off some force from Ken's shoulder. When the two finally came to a stop, Ken struggled to catch his breath. He thanked his lucky stars that his reflexes were still sharp.

"Too close." He gasped. He noticed Regina was also struggling to catch her breath. Ken tried to comfort her.

"Control your breathing. Don't look down. Lock your arms." Regina nodded quickly in understanding. Ken looked up and saw they had fallen a good distance. The Kong Master had climbed all the way out and was no longer holding onto the edge. He heard it screech again. Almost instantly, an idea popped into Ken's mind.

"Regina! I need your help to climb! Can you trust me?" Regina was hesitant for a moment, but she nodded and tapped his shoulder. Ken knew she meant yes and immediately proceed to swing his weight on the chain like a pendulum. Regina felt what he was doing and kicked off the cliff to add extra torque. The pendulum finally became wide and fast, and as they reached the peak of the right hand side, Ken pushed of the cliff and detached the knife. He quickly snapped the chain and caused it to latch onto the wall once again and swung down into another arch. It was now he noticed how light he felt, even with Regina on his back. He had no trouble controlling both of them as he repeated his move on the left. Two more times and he finally was able to sink the knife into the ground over the cliff.

"Okay! We need to go high into the air! Ready?" Regina tapped his shoulder in acknowledgment. The warmth of her Aura caused Ken's own to flare, making him flinch and wonder what she's thinking. They swung one final time and as they reached the bottom point of their swing, Regina kicked both of her heels underneath them and propelled her and Ken high up into the air. Ken was shocked at the extra height and he felt Regina hop off his back. He looked down and noticed they were high above the giant Kong Master. His chain fell to the ground and landed just on the edge of the cliff. The trees were still aflame and only a few Specters had found their way through them. Erwin was effectively taking them down and Gretchen was still bright with electric waves as she slashed at the giant. Ken opened up his limbs as he began his descent and materialized his final grenade. Priming it, he tossed his explosive with an incredible amount of force, not realizing he had covered it in his green Aura. The grenade rocketed towards the giant and exploded on its head. It looked up in anger and saw the two falling humans. It opened its mouth wide and roared loudly. Regina quickly dove head first and zipped past Ken, priming herself with her own bright red Aura.

"Regina! Careful!" His words were absorbed by the loud wind. Regina had already entered the giant opening as it shut. The Kong Master had effectively swallowed the girl. Ken closed his eyes. He felt his Aura swimming through him with ease. He focused. He could feel his Aura obeying his command as it concentrated around his palms. Good. He materialized his Sledge.

As he came closer to the ground, Gretchen had noticed the scene and Canton had readied his bow while on one knee. Erwin continued to drop anything that tried to brave the now angry wildfire. Ken yelled at the top of his lungs. His voice boomed loudly and he knew his comrades had heard him when they looked up.

"MAKE IT SCREAM!"

Canton fired explosive rounds into the giant's stomach as Gretchen charged an incredible amount of energy and fired it at the creature. It howled in pain. Ken knew its cry was loud enough when its belly began to inflate. He brought down his Sledge straight into the top of the creature's head. He felt his Aura pump into his strike as the thick skull cracked and shattered from the blow, causing the monster to drop to its knees. The sound waves of everything that was hitting the Grimm monster including its cry collected and focused at its center until finally, its abdomen exploded and Regina burst out, crashing into a heap of gore and guts. The carcass of the Kong Master collapsed backwards and fell into the cliff from where it came.

Ken had jumped off in time and landed like a sack of bricks on the ground. Erwin rushed over and helped him onto his feet. Ken panicked when he realized who had picked him up and looked over at the raging wildfire.

The Specters were chattering loudly, but they were not attacking. Instead, they fearfully were talking to each other as they saw their leader was killed and they began to back away. Finally, they angrily screeched one final time before retreating into the flaming forest. Ken looked over and saw Canton had washed off his partner and was holding her in a tight embrace. Gretchen stumbled over, panting loudly as she placed her sickles into their holster.

"Well. That was something." She lost her strength and began falling face first. The Lone Wanderer ducked underneath her and caught her with his back. Her chin rested on his shoulder as she struggled to recover her air.

"Yeah. Tell me about it."

* * *

"Canton Brosnan. Regina Oliveira. Gretchen Heartfire. And Erwin Silver."

The four students stepped forward when they were called forth by the headmaster. They were beaten, bruised, and scratched, but they held a fierce look in their eyes regardless.

"The four of you collected the King and Queen of Hearts. From this day forward, you will work together as team CRGE (courage). Led by Canton Brosnan."

The audience answered with a round of applause. Ken felt a little anxious at the sound. He was standing just outside the main doors with Nurse Sunflower holding his arm. She tugged his elbow when the newly formed team walked off the center stage.

"You're up! Remember, chin up and don't forget to breath!" She gave him a small shove into the doors. Ken grunted at the sudden push, but turned and smiled to the small lady.

Ken began to walk towards the center stage. When he came into view of the audience, they immediately erupted into a loud cheer. Ken stumbled back in surprise at the thunderous sound. He turned in a circle and observed the room. Everyone was on their feet, yelling and clapping as loud as they possibly could at the sight of the Lone Wanderer.

"Way to go Ken!"

"That was an awesome fight!"

"Hey, Lone Wanderer! Join our team! We have cookies!"

He slowly made his way to the center stage where the headmaster stood quietly. Ken found Ruby and the rest of his friends and waved in their direction. Out of all the students in the chamber, they were the ones that were making the most noise. Nora was definitely helping as she jumped up and down and whistled loudly through her fingers.

Ken slowly walked up the steps towards the headmaster. He saw his picture light up the room on the grand screens. His profile had a title on the bottom where the team name would normally be: _The Lone Wanderer_.

"Kenneth Ramirez."

"Headmaster."

Professor Ozpin held out his hand. Ken materialized his relic and handed it to him. The audience cheered louder when he did.

"You collected the Ace of Spades. I believe you already know what that means?"

Ken nodded. Professor Ozpin smiled and continued his speech.

"Ken. By being on your own you will learn that not having a team will prove difficult. However, I learned something very important from you on the day we met."

Ken became confused by the headmaster's words. "Sir?"

"Even those who walk a path alone have the ability to gain strength with the friends they come across. Now, you join the path of your fellow students and they will accompany you until the end." Ozpin stretched out his hand once again. Ken shook it. "Congratulations, Kenneth. And welcome to Beacon Academy."

* * *

_Boom!_

"Well, it's about damn time."

"What's wrong? Getting impatient?"

"I am sick and tired of your negligence, Theos. I will not tolerate-"

"Relax, Augustus. I have what you were looking for."

Autumn burned his stare at the dark scientist. Theos simply returned it with a smile. "Now, we can finally get started."

"Good. Lieutenant Maker!" An officer replied with a quick salute. "What is the status above ground?"

"The Brotherhood of Steel have been successfully pushed back, sir! They are currently bunkered down at the Pentagon building. Though they're giving our boys hell."

"Tell them to hold their position. We need to keep this building at all costs."

The officer looked like he was going to object, but was quickly silenced when Autumn furrowed his brow. "Yes sir, Mr. President! Relaying your orders now!" He dashed away towards his radio.

_Boom!_

Autumn looked back at the scientist, who was currently observing the object in the center of the room. "I trust you will not betray us, doctor?"

"Now why would something like that be a concern to the great president of the United States?"

"Damn it!" Autumn slammed his fist into a nearby desk. "Enough with this insolence! If you do not, I will personally see to it that you have a painful death!"

"And then what?"

"What?!"

The scientist turned and faced the president. Again those damn eyes! Why do they make the very president so…unnerved? _'That stupid child had that same look.'_

"Who will then help you with the realization of your dream?"

He was right. Autumn cursed under his breath. The majority of his science team was either killed or went missing since the destruction of Raven Rock. Only a small fraction of those people were currently with him now, and those babbling baboons could barely bang two rocks together. He needed Theos. But, he needed him just as much as Theos needed him. He snickered.

"I'm sure with the information at hand my team can easily do the job."

"If you say so."

Theos began to type into a monitor. Autumn laughed in his victory, but he was quickly interrupted by his Lieutenant.

"Uh, Mr. President?"

"Huh? What is it?"

"The Brotherhood just received…reinforcements?"

"Reinforcements?! Damn you, Maker, are you asking me or telling me?!"

"Well, I just received word that a group of locals just flanked our fire teams out of nowhere. And a group wearing black power armor are attacking from another side. They call themselves the Outcasts."

"Damn! Tell them to wear their weapons thin. We cannot afford to send them reinforcements. This building must remain under our control until we get this portal working!"

"Yes sir!"

Autumn walked over to the scientist. Theos had just inserted the drive into a monitor and was working to decrypt it. The president angrily stared at him from the side.

"You better make this thing work, Theos."

Theos didn't take his eyes off of the monitor. "As you wish. By the way, what was it that 501st found out west?"

The grin that formed on Autumns evil face made the scientist worry somewhat. He had only seen that look once before. And that was when they discovered this device.

"Well. That, my friend is something you will have to wait and see. Though I see it as…a little bit of insurance for our mission."

Theos frowned. He didn't like the sound of that.

_Boom!_

The president's usual scowl returned to his face.

"Someone silence that beast!"

"Trying to, sir! But he won't buckle!"

"That _abomination_ should be terminated!" Autumn stomped his way to the large energy cage in the corner of the room. "We have no use for it!"

"MY NAME IS FAWKES! AND I AM A PERSON! PATHETIC HUMAN! GAAHHHHHHH!"

_Boom!_ The massive beast within the cage continued to slam his weight into the blue wall, completely ignoring the burning hot energy that stung him violently. Autumn flinched and backed up a step. He pointed to the nearby Fauna Detail officer.

"Kill it now!"

"Wait!"

The president angrily looked over at Theos. He slowly walked over to the cage. "Don't. I need him."

"What could 'it' _possibly_ have to do with this mission?!" Autumn demanded. "He is only a liability to my resources!"

"This mutant has proven valuable to my research. An intelligent being of this type can serve useful for my experiments I have planned." He turned to a furious President Autumn. "Or maybe one of your few, precious staff members would like to volunteer? Regardless of their usefulness?"

Autumn grumbled angrily. He barked an order to the Fauna Detail member, telling him to kill the beast immediately should any sign of stress of the barrier become apparent, and stormed off. Theos shook his head.

"You!" Fawkes glared through the blue force field. "Release me! Now!"

"Now why would I do that?"

"If you do, I will spare you. That is a promise!"

"That is not a concern to me. What is, however, is your eagerness to try and convince me to do so."

Fawkes clenched his massive fists. "A trait a friend of mine had taught me."

"A friend?" Theos took a step towards the cage. The little to no fear this man showed was surprising to Fawkes. "Do you mean the Lone Wanderer?"

"Yes! What have you done with Ken?! WHERE IS HE?! GAH!" Fawkes charged another blow. He was about to blast the force field again when Theos shook his head.

"I don't understand why you would risk your own life to save a human. Very uncharacteristic of a Super Mutant indeed."

"Ken is my liberator! He showed me compassion and friendship when others simply wished to kill me! AND I WILL KILL YOU BASTARDS IF YOU TOUCH HIM!"

_Boom!_

Liberator. Compassion. Friendship. _'Ken. I have many questions for you. May our paths cross soon.'_

"Well then, you would be happy to know that he is, indeed, still alive."

Fawkes stopped himself. "He is?! Where is he?!"

"I don't know. But if you wish to see him again, I suggest you calm down. This barrier was designed to withstand great stress, but if you test it too much, I can not stop these men from killing you."

Now Fawkes was definitely confused. This man spoke to him like a normal person. But why? And why did he stop that other human from killing him?

"You…why are you doing this?"

Theos laughed and turned away. "Because, my big friend, there is a lot I can learn from you. And from Mr. Ramirez as well."

The room went back to its busy routines. Theos returned to his calculations, while other scientists assisted him in his work. Some soldiers moved around, going up and down the pentagonal elevator, and eventually even went side to side. The empty underground hive was now infected with metallic men and white-coated eggheads. The only person that was not human was currently trying to escape his cage, howling angrily and calling for his best friend. Although, there was indeed one more non-human soul inside that hive. No one has noticed just yet.

Two eyes stood hidden in the shadows, patiently awaiting a perfect moment. One blue. The other brown.

* * *

**A/N: *sigh* I really need to find more ways to say the word "giant"...**

**Hey guys! Hope you liked it! This chapter wasn't my strongest, but I think it worked nicely. Let me know what you think in the form of a review!**

**Just a quick reminder that there will be no update next Wednesday, August 20th. As I said before, I need time to regroup and work on this story. I got some awesome stuff planned, but this story comes after a long list of priorities. But I ain't going anywhere! I'll be back the next week with another chapter, and something tells me you guys are gonna love it!**

**I love you guys! Don't forget to favorite and follow if you haven't already! See you in two weeks!**

**Kind regards,**

**Just another fan.**

**P.S.- HOLY SHIT! over 11,000 views?! That's more than I ever thought possible! and 47 reviews?! You guys are the best! Thanks for the continued love and support!**


	13. Chapter 12: Unknown

**A/N: Hey guys! Welcome back! Sorry for the delay, but I am back and ready for action! A few more things on my agenda, but as always, let's get down to business first. We'll talk at the end. See you there! *BTW, I know _nothing _about politics. Forgive me for any inconsistencies!***

* * *

_Chapter 12: Unknown_

"Ladies and gentleman. Please settle down so that we may begin." An older gentleman took his spot at the first chair of a large, long table. Everyone complied with his request and sat down in unison. He continued to stand on his feet as he waited for everyone to relax and make themselves comfortable. What they didn't know was that the point of this last second Call to Council will have them shifting in their seats anxiously.

"Thank you for arriving on such short notice. It seems we have a very important matter to attend to."

The gentleman took a deep breath. "I'm sure some of you may know why you are here. But at this point, there is no reason for me to lie to any of you. Our world is in grave danger, and we have to address this at once."

The room became uncomfortable as he predicted. His words echoed in the mouths of the other council members as they whispered to each other softly. He cleared his throat, causing the council to return to silence.

"For more on this matter, I will turn the table over to the headmaster of Beacon Academy. Professor?"

"Thank you, Prime Minister." The headmaster patiently waited for the gentleman to sit in his seat before clearing his own voice. "As you know, I am the main reason why you are all here. I believe it is important that we turn our attention to a very real problem."

"Quit beating around the bush, Ozpin." A man in a highly decorated uniform spoke annoyingly from his seat at the end of the table. "Just get to the point."

Ozpin chuckled at the booming voice. "Admiral Arcadia. A pleasure as always."

The admiral grunted impatiently. Ozpin continued.

"We have made contact with another world."

"Aliens?" a woman asked a few seats to his right. "How is it that their appearance has gone unnoticed?"

"I am afraid it is not aliens, Madam June. He is human, like us. Except his world is…different." Professor Ozpin looked over at the woman who was watching him silently.

Admiral Arcadia was losing his patience. "So a human shows up from another planet, and the first thing you do is request a Call to Council? You're becoming senile, old man."

"His planet is called Earth. And it's almost identical to Remnant, despite its recent changes." Another man had spoken up from across the table. "We read the files, Arcadia. Sometimes you have to do your homework."

"Very amusing." The admiral simply lounged back in his chair. "So tell us, Ozpin. What exactly is the problem here?"

The headmaster took a deep breath. "It is still unclear how Mr. Ramirez was able to enter Remnant. What we do know is that he unwillingly activated a portal-like device. He has given one of my staff members a great collection of knowledge and we are working to find the details. But what we have discovered so far is rather important." Ozpin looked to his left where his coworker and lifelong friend sat listening quietly. "We have reason to believe that contact with Earth is still very possible."

"The files very explicitly detail that the world of Earth is destroyed and has had no advancement in its last two hundred years." The man across the table spoke up again as he tapped into a monitor built in to the table. "It's a post-apocalyptic wasteland. How is it possible that they make contact again?"

"Mr. Xu. The device that Ken used was still very functional even after two hundred years." Now Ozpin's companion had begun to speak. He leaned forward onto the table, cleaning the lenses of his glasses with a handkerchief from his breast pocket. "Should someone rediscover it in the manner he did, then no doubt can they also enter just as easily."

"Professor Grant." The Prime Minister addressed the familiar face with a smile. "What is your theory on the connection between our worlds?"

Grant took a second to organize his reply. "I believe that Earth is in another universe."

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me!" Arcadia rolled his eyes. "First, humans from another planet, and now different dimensions? Dust, what do you teach at that crazy animal house?"

"That sort of attitude will not be tolerated in my halls", the Prime Minister said firmly. The admiral didn't reply. "Please, continue."

"Thank you. About ten years ago, Atlas seemed to have had a similar encounter. However, instead of a person, they found this." Grant motioned towards someone behind him. They wheeled over a metal cart with a strange object on it.

"Wait a moment. You're saying we have already made contact with Earth before?"

"I believe it's more accurate to say that they tried to make contact with us. While I was visiting, I was able to bring this device back to Beacon." Grant was now pulling out his tool kit from his trench coat.

The object looked like a metal helmet with a handful of antenna fraying behind it. Its face had what looked similar to the grill of a car, and at the bottom was what looked like a laser weapon. Grant got up from his seat and grabbed hold of the strange object, resting it on the table. He placed it on its side and began fiddling with its innards. The object sparked and muttered in response. Finally, it began bolstering loud music and began to speak.

"_Greetings, fellow civilization! I am the President of the great United States of America! We wish to make contact with you in peace and I hope that we may have a great standing relationship! However, we are at war with the greedy Chinese Communists and we wish to warn you of their demonic intentions! If they cannot conquer something, then they will try and destroy it! If you come in contact with the Red Menace, please be cautious! Democracy is the only way, and we will make sure that it rings in any and all places! Please reply to us soon and may God bless the USA!_"

The same loud bolstering music of trumpets played again and the message seemed to repeat itself in different languages. Grant stopped the recording.

Mr. Xu was the first to speak. "Communists? How disappointing."

"So the United States of America was a democracy. No wonder they were mortal enemies." Madam June was rubbing her chin. She turned to Professor Grant. "But I thought the governments had destroyed each other?"

"They did. I barely was able to get enough power to siphon out this message along with a small amount of data. But what I did discover was that this machine entered our world in 2076, Earth years." Everyone gaped at the professor in disbelief.

"Impossible!" Mr. Xu was calculating numbers into his monitor with no success. "I thought Earth had already been through two centuries! And wasn't that machine discovered a few years ago on Remnant?"

"Correct." Grant placed the machine on the cart to be wheeled away. "However, this machine was only unearthed ten years ago. How it arrived here is still unclear. But, judging by the damage incurred by this machine, I believe the Inter Dimensional Theory is coming into play here."

Another member of the council leaned in. "That theory was deemed bogus! There is no way-"

"Then how else do you suggest we explain what is happening?" Grant was still standing and looked over at the Prime Minister. He nodded. Grant continued. "The theory suggests that should two dimensions ever collide, an unstable connection would have a variety of side effects, the most prominent of which being the possible destruction of physical mass. That alone implies that traveling in between two dimensions is not only risky to the traveler, but can also cause the collapse of both realities!"

"So you're saying that should another portal open and someone else enters, then our dimension just ceases to exist?" The Prime Minister inquired. Grant shook his head.

"It's not that simple. It's more of a deterioration, depending on how long the opening remains active. Unless the portal is stabilized from both ends and is receiving constant power, then having it open can risk causing permanent damage."

The room was silent. What Grant was suggesting seemed impossible, but there truly was no other reasoning. Admiral Arcadia now was concerned.

"Then how do we know no one else will enter Remnant? You heard what that strange machine said. Both of those governments had obvious intentions to making contact with us. They, or whatever is left of them, could try and invade!"

"That is why we must stop this now." Everyone turned to look at the headmaster. "We must stop anything from entering Remnant, or we run the risk of destroying both of our universes."

"What about the people of the wasteland?" Madam June asked concerned.

"Should we try and help, we only risk ourselves", Grant replied, "It is best for both realities to stay independent from each other."

Admiral Arcadia sighed. He straightened his back and cleared his throat. "I suggest we place this so called 'Lone Wanderer' into a containment cell so that we may question and hold him until we can discover how to return him to where he belongs."

"That will not be necessary, admiral." Arcadia snapped his large head towards the headmaster.

"Oh? And why not?"

Ozpin chuckled. Without making eye contact, he readdressed the prestigious leader. "Mr. Ramirez has just passed his initiation with flying colors. He is now attending my institution as an official student."

"You _what_?!" The admiral was now on his feet and placed his weight onto the table. "Some stranger who is potentially _dangerous_ enters our world and you simply begin training him to become one of the most elite warriors to ever exist?! Like some Dust damned PET?!"

"If that is how you wish to see it, then yes."

"Prime Minister!" Arcadia was now staring down the gentleman with disgust. "Please tell me you won't stand for this…this…"

"Arcadia! If you continue your rude outbursts I will have the Royal Guard escort you out!" The admiral grumbled angrily before reluctantly sitting back down. "I have faith in the headmaster and if he believes this young man should become trained, then so be it."

"Until he becomes our worst nightmare." The admiral grumbled. The Prime Minister shook his head.

"What are the chances that someone else enters Remnant?"

"It's hard to say." Grant sat back down. "The gateway Mr. Ramirez used to enter was activated from the other side. We currently have no way of entering ourselves or determining if the device can be activated again."

"Can we make contact and send a message while minimizing the risk?"

Grant grunted in thought. "It may be possible, but I'd have to do more research. I'm not even sure Atlas has anything about this technology. Besides, I don't want to accidentally reach out to anyone who could be possibly hostile."

"This so called 'Brotherhood of Steel' are claimed to be allies with the Lone Wanderer, correct?" asked Mr. Xu. "Perhaps they could be of assistance?"

"We could only hope. In the meantime, I will keep the council briefed on my discoveries."

"Very well." The Prime Minister stood on his feet. "Beacon Academy will continue the research on the inter-dimensional planet Earth and will see what our options are to try and seal the gate. Should anyone, or anything, else enter Remnant, we are to try to make peaceful contact unless the intruder is deemed hostile. All in favor of this motion?"

Nineteen hands raised up high. Arcadia was the only one to disapprove as he grumbled under his breath. The Prime Minister smiled.

"Then, it is decided. I apologize for the workload, Professor Ozpin. But I know you have what it takes to keep our world safe."

Ozpin smiled at the Prime Minister before standing up and walking out of the room.

* * *

In the week following the second initiation, Ken has become nothing short of a celebrity at Beacon Academy. As he became accustomed to the nature of being at school again, students from all year levels were constantly approaching him in an effort to get a study session with the Lone Wanderer. Ken always did his best to comply. However, there was an…unforeseen variable with his new-found reputation: girls. They were always pestering him about going out on dates or trying to get him to exchange messages, and he was really starting to get tired of it. But by no means does that mean he didn't like the attention, oh no, not at all. He never even dreamed he would attend an institution with such a diverse spectrum of beauty. But it was very overwhelming, even for the legendary Lone Wanderer, and the last thing he ever truly expected was being 'on the market', as Yang had so bizarrely put.

Despite the heavy amount of catch up work he had accumulated and the constant bull's-eye he had on his back from a lot of girls, Ken was loving school and was very happy with his decision. Even though the headmaster's warning was right, he was able to work with his instructors and fellow classmates and was starting to catch up in his classes. However, it seems that his least favorite class was proving much more difficult than he imagined: Grimm studies. This was the class he was currently at, and it was also the class he was trying not to fall asleep in. He wasn't able to get the same class with Ruby and her team, but the reason he was even able to keep up with Professor Port's bolstering lectures and constant tangents was that Erwin Silver from team CRGE sits next to him. Thank goodness.

Ken's eyelids were becoming heavier throughout the lecture as he sat holding up his head. He lightly snorted when the mustached professor let out a deep laugh. Ken yawned and looked over at his companion who was briskly taking notes with his silver weapon.

"I don't get it. They're monsters, and we hunt them. Why do we have to take such a detailed class when all it takes is just a good shot to the face?"

Erwin continued to scratch his notebook undisturbed as he replied.

"Well, did you know that the Ursa has seventy two vital pressure points that can be used to take it down efficiently?"

"Um, well-"

"And did you know that by effectively destroying at least three of those points adjacent to each other, the blood flow is disrupted and it will immediately die without any more influence?"

"Really? I-"

"And were you aware that its face is covered by an armored mask made of thick bone?"

"Alright I get the point, Silver."

Erwin smirked as he used his first two fingers to push up his glasses. Ken let out a frustrated exhale when he noticed he hadn't taken any notes since they started. He really wasn't helping himself. At least he sits in the final row in the back where the instructor couldn't really see him. Ken flipped through the text book and grimaced when he saw the chapter the lecture was on. He turned back to his neighbor.

"Hey, do you think you and your team would want to join me later tonight and have a study session? I still have a lot of catching up to do and I'd greatly appreciate any help."

Erwin connected his gaze with Ken's. "Will team RWBY be joining us as well?"

Ken was a little surprised by the question. He hadn't planned on asking the girls to join him, but Erwin seemed a bit hopeful.

"Well, I don't see why they wouldn't want to. It's been awhile since we hung out and Weiss has been more than helpful to me." He noticed Erwin smile at this. Ken knew it was due to his mentioning of the heiress. "Have you gotten the chance to meet them?"

"Canton and the others have not, but I knew Ms. Schnee when we were young."

Ken accidentally sunk the tip of his pen into his notebook, causing the ink to bleed through the pages. In his state of surprise, he didn't even notice he wasted half of it.

"You did? How?"

"My parents own a sister company to the Schnee Dust Company in Atlas. That is where I came from." Erwin looked back towards his paper and continued his note taking. "I don't think she remembers who I am, but it certainly is a pleasure to see her again."

"Oh. Wait, isn't there an academy there, too?"

"Yes. Olympus Academy. I transferred to Beacon after my first semester."

"Olympus? Sounds interesting."

Erwin chuckled amusingly at this. "Not interesting enough."

"Huh?"

"This place is more of a…challenge to me." A cocky grin formed on the silver kid's face. "And it's much more fascinating."

Ken took a moment to digest the new information.

"Well, I could ask the girls if you'd like?"

"That would be wonderful. I will tell my team of our appointment." He closed his notebook just as the bell announced the end of class. "I will see you later this evening. Your dorm, I presume?"

"Of course."

Erwin waved goodbye as he left the classroom. Ken walked out himself as he stored his utensils in his inventory. It was lunchtime, and Ken was excited for it. He usually was whenever it was time to stuff his face with delicious sustenance that he didn't even know existed. He pulled out his scroll and began typing a message to Blake. He froze. A strange feeling erupted in his chest the moment he put in his friend's name in the recipient box. What is it? Ken had never felt it before…wait, he has. But where?

"Let me go! Ow!"

His confusion was interrupted by a loud cry not far away. Ken looked down the hall to his left. He could see a group of students huddled together at its end. When he heard another pain-filled plea, he turned on his heel and began making his way towards it.

When he got close, he noticed that the four students were surrounding a smaller person. It didn't take him long to figure out who was crying out in pain. The person in the center had chocolate colored rabbit ears. And the tallest kid was holding on to one of them aggressively.

"Stop hurting me! Or..or..!"

"Haha!" The taller kid laughed. "Look! She's trying to be tough this time! Or what, you dirty Faunus?"

"Or you deal with me."

The kid looked over at the new face. He scowled.

"Oh? Is this your pet?"

Ken recognized the kid in front of him. Cardin Winchester. Ruby and the others had told him to keep an eye out for him, not because he was a threat, but mainly because he can be a damn nuisance. But he certainly wasn't expecting this.

"You must be Cardin." Ken crossed his arms across his chest. "The notorious racist bully. Are you trying to get yourself expelled?"

Cardin laughed and tugged harder on the ear. "Who the hell do you think you are? Why don't you fetch some carrots for your pet? I think she's hungry!"

Ken put on a menacing face. "I'm only going to say this once. Let her go."

Cardin replied with a tighter grip. "What's it to you, anyway? Got a fetish for this sort of thing? That's pitiful."

Ken frowned. He took a moment to think of what he should do in this situation. Cardin seems like the type that thinks himself too important to watch the broadcast of the initiation, so that would explain why he hadn't recognized him yet. Somewhat refreshing, in a weird way. He observed as his teammates formed a line in between him and their leader. They had menacing looks and grins, but Ken could see right through them. They had recognized him and were obviously bluffing, trying desperately to hide their fear. The blue haired one, however, didn't seem too eager to start a fight.

"Hey, Cardin. I think that's him."

Cardin looked at his subordinate questioningly. "Huh? What do you mean, Sky?"

"The kid from the forest. The Lone Wanderer. That's him."

Cardin looked back at Ken. He laughed. "This wimp? Hah!" Cardin balled up his other fist. "Listen up, kid. If you don't want your head to get demolished into a pulp, I suggest you beat it!"

Ken relaxed his arms. Staring straight into Cardin's gaze, he decided he would try and talk this one out. No need for the old fashioned way. Though, why not scare the living shit out of them?

"This place is Beacon Academy. The most prestigious academy on Remnant that trains people to hunt and kill _demons_ for a living. And you're picking on one of its students? I don't know about you, but that just sounds like bad karma waiting to happen."

Cardin burned his stare at the Lone Wanderer. The others, however, exchanged nervous glances with each other. Ken knew he got to them. He was right. Cardin, on the other hand, wasn't convinced.

"What's your point, chump? This filthy Faunus couldn't do anything to a human!"

"Perhaps not now. But it's only a matter of time before the Faunus get their equality." Ken took a step towards the group. Cardin's goons took a nervous step back. "Or maybe, karma just might be served a little…ahead of schedule."

Ken's voice changed. It became deeper and a low growl emitted from his chest as he spoke. "What's it gonna be, Cardin? Your move."

Cardin's friends were now shaking with fear. Those words dripped an evil venom as they were spoken by the scarred man. And the look on his face only confirmed their fears. And what was that sound? He…growled! Sky glanced at Cardin, who had paled white at the menacing voice.

The orange haired kid shook away his shock. He replaced his fearful look with a fake grin. "This isn't over, kid. I'll be dealing with you later." With that, he released his hold of the rabbit ear, shoved the person to the ground, and walked away. His teammates stayed close behind him.

Ken walked over to the small Faunus girl. "Sorry that took so long. It's hard to talk to someone with mincemeat for brains."

Ken extended his hand, but was surprised when the girl simply scooted away from him. She stared at the ground and simply stroked her still throbbing ear.

"Alright. I'll leave you alone then."

This got her attention. She looked up at the scarred man above her. Her brown eyes studied his face for a moment before he turned to leave.

"W-wait a second. Aren't you…?"

Ken turned back to the girl. He gave her a warm smile when he saw her eyes widen. "You are!"

"That's me. The guy who popped out of a random forest!" Ken decided he would try the silly route and opened his arms as if he just did a magic trick, although he nearly knocked over an expensive looking vase. After catching it and swearing under his breath, he walked over to the now giggling Faunus. Her recognizing of him seemed to relax her, so he outstretched his hand again.

"But you can call me Ken." The girl slowly accepted the hand.

"Velvet. I'm Velvet."

"Well, 'I'm Velvet'. A pleasure to meet you." Ken's comment and his wide smile made Velvet laugh a little louder. "Is this your lunch hour?"

Velvet nodded. Ken raised his hand in the direction of the cafeteria. "Well, mine too."

Velvet paused for a second, but she nodded when Ken simply gave her another sweet smile. For a moment, the two walked in silence as they passed through a few crowds. Once they had walked outside of the building and were in a secluded area, Ken broke the silence.

"Can I ask you something?"

Velvet jumped slightly at the sudden question, but nodded.

"Why didn't you fight back?"

Ken watched the Faunus as she looked ahead of them. She sighed.

"I just…don't want any trouble."

"There isn't anything wrong with standing up for yourself."

Velvet met Ken's look. Her expression had returned to its troubled state.

"There is when you're a Faunus. If I were to fight back, people would simply label me as a member of the White Fang."

"The White Fang? An organization?"

Velvet looked at Ken with legitimate disbelief. "What? You don't know who the White Fang are?"

Ken shook his head. "No idea."

Velvet looked back down at the ground. "They are a group that had claimed themselves as the voice of the Faunus a long time ago. But for the last five years, they have become notorious criminals that cause violence in the streets. They're nothing more than a group of terrorists that justify their acts as freedom for our kind."

"And that reflects poorly on all Faunus. I see."

Velvet slowed her pace slightly. Concerned, Ken stopped and placed his hand on her shoulder. She didn't flinch this time however, causing Ken to smile.

"Let me tell you something. I see a person before me who is willing to learn how to dedicate her life to becoming a defender of the people. Someone who is so tired of seeing the hate and oppression in her world that she is willing to take the risk to try and change it. And doing it the right way, instead of falling to the same greedy methods others like the White Fang have taken. Have more confidence in yourself. Beacon only accepts the most powerful on Remnant. And I know that you are here for a reason."

Velvet's ears perked up excitedly. She smiled widely and nodded. Ken smiled back and continued walking. They talked for a little while as they made their way to the cafeteria. Velvet shared a few pointers on how to use his scroll, but became fascinated with Ken's Pip-Boy when they began talking about it. Ken was stunned when she politely asked to play with his device. He agreed, and after only a few minutes, Ken's device now had an accurate Aura gauge he could use during combat. This girl was incredibly intelligent.

They finally entered the great hall of food which was still a bit empty when someone called out to Velvet.

"Hey Velvet! We're over here!"

Velvet waved when she saw her friends, and then turned to Ken.

"That's my team. Hey, it was nice talking to you. I'll see you later, maybe?"

Ken nodded. Velvet was about to leave, but hesitated. She turned back to Ken.

"Thanks. For everything." She quickly dashed away towards her friends.

After grabbing a few steaks (which apparently are also made of a cow, so Ken made a mental note to meet this delicious creature at some point) and some water on a tray, Ken proceeded to sit on the balcony outside. He took a huge bite of the delicious meat, forgetting that proper etiquette required him to use a knife and fork. Team RWBY followed shortly after. Ken happily waved as they sat down with him on the balcony. Then, that same damn feeling returned in his chest when Blake sat down next to him. Shit, way stronger now! His face lit up slightly red when he said hi to her. Thankfully, Blake didn't notice it due to the fact that Ruby had attached herself to Ken in her signature tight hug.

"Gah! Ruby! I'm choking!"

"You are so sweet!" Ruby finally released her hold on Ken as he swallowed his water to down his beef. After he survived, he looked over at the still beaming girl.

"I am? Why?"

"We saw you talking to Velvet! No one is ever that nice to her." Ruby's red hood was snagged by her sister before she could embrace Ken again. Ken mouthed a subtle thank you to the blonde.

"Yeah! Did you get her number?" Yang winked. Ken shook his head which Yang obviously didn't approve of. Before she got the chance to complain, Ken decided to ask his question.

"Do you ladies want to join me and the members of team CRGE for a study session tonight?" Ken made sure he was observing Weiss closely. As soon as he noticed her blush and reluctance to make eye contact with anyone, he pointed an accusing finger at her and called her out on her reaction.

"Ah-HAH! I knew it! You and Silver have something going on!"

Weiss angrily jumped in her seat and burned Ken with her stare. "I do NOT! How dare you?!"

The table burst out laughing as Weiss immediately proceeded to defend herself, blabbing about how she simply just admired his combat skills. Ken waved his hands at her as she continued to stare him down.

"I'm just teasing you! Relax!" Weiss fumed in her usual manner as she sat back down.

"In all seriousness, I'd love to have the atmosphere to try and finish my work I'm behind on. Grimm studies is killing me and I could use all of the help I can get." He paused a moment when he remembered something else. "And I've yet to figure out what happened on the day of my emergence."

Ruby turned and patted him on the arm and smiled. "We'd love to! We'll do what we can to help. Right guys?"

The girls nodded. Blake was the next to speak. "Any ideas?"

Ken shook his head. "Not a clue. Though I will say that activating a portal and the Grimm suddenly becoming uneasy is too much of a coincidence."

Weiss relaxed her stare. "I heard that Professor Ozpin made a Call to Council earlier this week. I'm not sure why but if it gets approved, it usually means it's important. It would also explain why the headmaster was out of his office this morning."

"I thought requesting a Call to Council was difficult?" Blake asked surprised. "Could it be that Ken's situation is that important?"

"What's a Call to Council?" asked Ken. Blake explained that it was a last second request for the gathering of the Elder Council of Vytal, which was the group that made decisions on behalf of many important subjects. Ken understood immediately how the politics must work, seeing how the Brotherhood of Steel and even Rivet City had a similar way of running things. It usually had twenty representatives, each of different backgrounds and groups in Vytal. Ken wondered if it was possible that they may try to send him back, but shook the thought away. He knew the headmaster wouldn't allow it.

Ken's scroll beeped. Opening his device, Ken was surprised to see it was his professor. The message was marked _'Urgent.'_

**_Mr. Ramirez. Please report to my office as soon as possible._**

**_ -J.G._**

Ken shut his scroll. What could be so urgent? It must be a development of some kind. Anxiety quickly swelled his chest. Maybe he could finally start getting answers.

In his pondering, he didn't realize he was staring off into space.

"Ken? You look lost." Blake waved her hand in front of Ken's face. He looked over and smiled.

"I'm not. My technologies professor just summoned me and I should probably get over there before lunch ends." He got up from the table. "So, I'll see you tonight?"

"Count on it!" Yang replied with a mouthful of chicken and gave him a thumbs up. Ken quickly turned in his tray and began his trek.

Ken was quite comfortable now with the layout of Beacon. Granted, he had been here a short time and a large part of the campus remains unexplored, but the buildings his classes are in are very well versed in his mind. The classroom he was headed towards was not far from the cafeteria. In fact, it was in the building next door, and the office he was told to report to was inside the classroom of his favorite subject: technologies.

He made his way inside the room. It was a bit smaller than the rest at Beacon Academy. It was one row short and had fewer windows, but it was still big enough to house the students comfortably. Technologies was a class not many people took since it simply was an elective course, but those who do usually have a better understanding of how their world works and can even use the knowledge for their weapons. Ken loved this course and gladly accepted it simply because he had always been fascinated by the technology of his world. And, who knows? By better understanding Remnant and its own discoveries, maybe he could begin to understand some of the very machines he carries with him a little bit better.

Ken walked into the office at the front of the classroom. After finding it empty, he walked to the adjacent side of the room and looked through the conference room window. Also empty. _'Huh. Must have beaten him here.'_ He walked over to the large wooden lecture desk and sat down behind it. It was quite comfortable. It reminded him of the fluffy pillows of the infirmary. He picked up the lecture baton that was attached to the side of the wooden desk and carelessly waved it around. He laughed as he kicked his feet up and rested his heels on the wood.

"Listen up, class!" he began lecturing his pretend class, "The gray hairs on my head should tell you that I know what I'm doing and you should listen to what I have to say!"

"Well, professor. I didn't know you were so wise and cocky."

Ken yelped in surprised and fell backwards when the comfy chair flew out from underneath him. The man that walked in simply laughed loudly at the scene as Ken tried to recover from his painful fall. Ken jumped to his feet and quickly placed everything where he found it as best he could.

"Professor Grant! Sorry sir, I was just-"

"No need, Mr. Ramirez. I used to be the same way." Grant chuckled as he walked over to the large desk and set down a few folders he was carrying. "I'm glad you're as enthusiastic about sitting in that chair as I am."

"Oh. Alright. You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Oh yes! I'm sorry for interrupting your break, but I'm sure you'd appreciate a few things I have discovered in the files you gave me."

Ken perked up excitedly and he waited for the professor to sit down. He was slightly taller than Ken but was slimmer and less built. His beard was a bright white that generously covered his cheeks and chin. The hair on his head was the same color and volume which he liked to slick back in an effort to keep it out of his eyes. His usual attire consisted of a black trench coat and a blue dress shirt underneath. He wore frameless glasses that were thin and subtle, but Ken had noticed that the professor had a habit of wiping them every so often, especially when he was thinking. If it weren't for this habit, he would have had no idea the professor even had them on. He reminded Ken of Elder Lyons, though the professor's word choice and presence lacked that of the old man's.

Professor Grant pulled out a small scroll from his inside pocket and placed it on the wooden desk. After pushing a few things out of the center, he proceeded to interact with the device. It beeped in response and lit up graciously. It covered the wood with holograms and windows, turning its center into a giant interaction panel. Ken's excitement grew even more at the new toy and resisted the urge to touch one of the tiles. Grant wiped his lenses before he tapped one near him, causing it to enlarge and focus. A holographic model of a machine popped up and revolved in a slow circle. Ken immediately recognized it as the one that devoured him.

"This device was designed in 2074, Earth years. Its description to its tier two audience explained that it has the ability to enter any country on the planet with a limited range of 180 degrees." He pulled up a rotating globe of Earth that highlighted the area he referred to. Ken immediately understood what he meant when the highlighted area covered the country of China.

"I'm assuming the tier one audience had a different description?"

"Yes, however the file is highly encrypted and I'm still working to unlock it. But what I do know is that the tier one audience consisted of only a few people and the description was codenamed '_Project Haven_'."

Ken raised an eyebrow. "_Project Haven_?"

"Precisely." He swiped the surface once more and brought up the design of the strange frame. "This device demanded for an incredibly large amount of nuclear energy that would supposedly be enough to activate the portal. However, according to my own calculations, if they wanted this device to satisfy the tier two description, they did not need the massive amount of power they tried to harness in order to activate it."

Ken held his chin in thought. If this device wasn't intended to open a portal to China, then what was it intended for?

Grant summoned another tile on the right. "I'm still trying to discover why this device was drowned with all the energy it was given, but in the mean time I will keep you in the know as to what I decipher. Another note came up that I believe is worth mentioning. Where this device stands now there used to be another machine that was created to use the power injectors and computers the arch is connected to. I believe that when this arch went critical upon its first activation, the power injectors didn't focus the power correctly and the technique that supposedly minimized the radiation didn't work. That chamber must have been flooded with radiation after its activation."

Ken jumped in realization and planted his fist into his open palm. "That explains the ferals I encountered in the first chamber!"

Grant looked at Ken curiously at the words he said, but simply smiled and decided not to ask. "Well, at least some things are starting to come together."

The professor reached into his drawer and pulled out a plump orange. Ken stared at the fruit he disliked simply because of its lame logic and was surprised to see the professor happily begin to peel it. Grant noticed the look of confusion on his student's face and smiled when he finished taking down the fruit's defenses.

"Would you like some?" Grant tore a portion off of the sphere and placed it in Ken's reach. The Lone Wanderer took the strange piece in his fingers and studied it closely. He was surprised to see how perfect the little section was. It was like a puzzle and Ken was fascinated at how the piece of fruit didn't spill anything when Grant separated it. As soon as he popped it in his mouth, Ken knew it was his new favorite. The delicious citrus exploded as he closed his jaw. Ken happily chewed the orange for a little while, not realizing he had closed his eyes. Grant was pleased with Ken's reaction as he himself enjoyed a piece.

"Oranges are my favorite snack. They always have them in the cafeteria and I make an effort to take some every day."

"I can see why." Ken happily replied as he finished his piece. Grant gave him the rest of it as he had already pulled out another orange from his drawer.

"Have you ever had something that you loved that reminds you of who you are?"

Ken chewed on another slice as he shook his head. Grant grinned as he held up his unpeeled orange and looked at it thoughtfully.

"If it wasn't for this simple fruit, I probably wouldn't even be alive today."

Ken stopped chewing. He wasn't expecting the comment his professor made, but the way he stared at the orange made Ken believe that it truly was remarkable.

"Sir? I don't follow."

Grant chuckled and turned to his disciple as he reclined in his chair. "Not important at the moment. That's all I had for you Ken. Did you have any questions?"

Ken smiled when he remembered the words the headmaster said. "Someone once told me that the most humble people have the most important stories."

Grant chuckled as he tossed himself his orange. "Perhaps. But a story for another day. Now, before I forget." He tapped another tile on the desk. A hologram of Harkness' gift to him hovered into view. "I was able to successfully upgrade your weapon, as well as replenish the batteries for it. Though you might find them a bit…different."

Ken was overwhelmed with excitement. He was low on microfusion cells, but Remnant hadn't expanded their knowledge on plasma as much as Earth had. He was sure, however, that whatever Grant had done to his weapon, it would be just as effective. Or even more.

"Let me know when you are ready to upgrade the rest of your arsenal. Unless of course, you plan on designing your own weapon?"

Ken stood from his seat and smiled. "Thank you professor! I'll pick those up after class!"

* * *

When classes were finished for the day, Ken quickly made his way over to the armory. He found Ruby on the way and she eagerly joined him on his way to pick up his gun. She was pretty hyper, and that was when Ken discovered she drank a whole six pack of soda during class.

"I can't WAIT to get my new rounds!" she hopped up in the air excitedly, making Ken flinch. "Oh my Dust! It'll be the first time I used different Dust in my bullets!"

Ken struggled to keep up with Ruby's sugar high. "So, tell me again why you drank a week's worth of Dust-pop?"

Ruby giggled loudly as she pulled another out of her pocket. She handed it to Ken.

"I found them in Jaune's room. He always has them!"

"You stole these?"

"More like borrowed for a really long time! Besides, he shouldn't be drinking these anyway!"

Ken sighed at Ruby's innocence. He loved her personality and energy, but seriously, he sometimes wonders how Yang and the rest of her team do it.

They finally got to the armory at the final level of the school. When they walked in, Ruby happily celebrated when she saw they were the first ones and there was no line.

"Woo hoo! We're first!" She looked at the empty counter and sighed. "Aw man, we even beat the Quartermaster."

Ken approached the large glass that separated the room from the outside world.

"Hello? Anyone home?"

"Hold on a sec! Damn door is jam- OW!"

Ken heard a loud _clang_ emit from inside the glass. He then saw the Quartermaster of the armory walk out from a corner and towards the counter. He was rubbing his forehead with his palm as he angrily swore under his breath.

"Ugh, I really gotta get that Dust damned door fixed!" He dropped his hand and looked through the glass, an annoyed expression plastered across his dirty face. "What do you kids want?"

Ken wondered that maybe being a Quartermaster made people bitter. He sure knew Durga was never happy about it. This guy especially. He called himself Tommy, even though his real name was Michael. He refused to explain why he changed his name, but he said something about his favorite weapon being a tommy gun. His accent reminded Ken of the people that occupied the Pitt, except this guy was a damn angel compared to the raiders there.

"Yeah. Kenneth Ramirez. Professor Grant said you had my equipment ready?"

Tommy grumbled as he navigated a monitor just underneath the glass. "Team name?"

"The Lone Wanderer."

The Quartermaster laughed loudly. "Not much of a team player, ay? That's cool. Yeah, I got your rifle. Holy shit kid, I gotta say this is some sweet hardware you got here!" He turned and walked back into the dark corner. When he came back, he was holding A3-21's modified plasma rifle. Ken quickly saw that it was different as Tommy slipped it under the opening of the window. Its nose was tinted a light blue and the chambers on the top were also the same color. He looked at the battery on the bottom that was attached to it and saw that it too was tinted differently. Looking a bit closer, Ken realized that the cell had the word _ice_ written on it and was filled with Dust.

Ken held his weapon in his hands. It was much lighter than before, and it actually felt cold to the touch. Ken noticed that the battery was already primed. He made sure the safety was on when he felt Ruby try and reach for it.

"Ooooh! Is that your laser gun? Can I see it? Pleeeasssseee?!"

Ken pulled the gun out of the girl's reach. "Careful, Ruby! And it's a plasma rifle. Well…" He looked at the new color again. "…at least it was, anyway."

"Hey! Muzzle discipline, you looney!" Ken quickly dropped his barrel when he noticed he was accidentally pointed it straight where Tommy used to be. The Quartermaster slowly rose from his hiding spot as Ken promptly apologized. Tommy grumbled as he grabbed another box nearby.

"Here's the ammo for it. Grant gave you two kinds: fire and ice. They're color coded, too. If you ever need more, come on down and we'll refill your batteries. In the meantime, I kept one back in the lab so that we can try to copy it. And let me know when you wanna upgrade anything else! I'm itching to play around with whatever else you got!"

"Oh, awesome!" Ken began looking for his money in his Pip-Boy. "How much do I owe you?"

Tommy laughed amusingly at this. "Whatever you wanna pay me, kid!"

Ruby grabbed Ken's hand as he pulled out some lien. "You don't owe him anything, Kenny. The school pays for any and all equipment students need."

"Ah, come on girly! I wouldn't mind some extra gambling money!" Ruby shot the rude guy a cold look, which immediately silenced him.

Ken thanked Tommy as he stored the munitions in his inventory. Tommy was shocked when the batteries simply disappeared before his eyes. Ruby didn't give him a chance to question it as she was already asking for her own gear.

"Ruby Rose! Team RWBY! Got my new rounds?"

"Wh- oh, yeah. Shock and freezing rounds. Here ya go." As Ruby thanked him and began pulling Ken out of the room, Tommy loudly called to him.

"Hey kid! If you ever looking to sell that thing, I'm a buyer!"

Ken looked back and shook his head to the Quartermaster. "Sorry, but this is a gift from a friend of mine. I'd never sell it."

"Fair enough. Come back anytime if she needs a fixin'!"

"You got it!"

Ruby continued to pull Ken by the hand as they began to climb the staircase again. She was looking at her large clips hungrily. Ken was amused when he noticed that she didn't plan on taking her eyes off of them anytime soon, so he gently guided her with his hand as they walked towards the dorms.

"I can't wait to try these! Crescent Rose is gonna LOVE 'em!" She happily stroked her large clips as if it were a puppy.

"Well why don't we go to the shooting range and try them out? I'd love to shoot some of these bad boys." Ken had pulled out a cell that was marked _fire_ on the side. It was filled with the red Dust Ken had learned about in his studies.

"I can't. My team and I have to go talk to Professor Oobleck about an assignment." She looked sad as she looked at her messages in her scroll.

"Ah, alright then. Will I still see you guys later?"

Ruby hopped up again when she remembered their study session. "Yup! See you then!"

Ken made his way back to his dorm to shower and rest before his friends showed up. He couldn't get the words Professor Grant had said out of his mind throughout the rest of the day and more so now since he was alone. _Project Haven_. What was it? And why would someone try to hide it with another description? Ken felt his anger rise due to his confusion, but he easily suppressed it. No need to get worked up over this.

He almost didn't notice he had already begun to unlock his dorm room when his Pip-Boy made a strange sound, startling Ken back into reality.

WARNING! ANOMALY DETECTED! PLEASE CONTACT [ERROR] FOR IMMEDIATE DIAGNOSTICS!

'_Huh. That's odd_.' Ken slowly cleared the screen. He had only seen the strange message after he was already in Remnant. It didn't bother him, so he chose to ignore it. But this time, his instincts were warning him. He could feel the bite of anxiety and awareness nipping at him, not allowing him to think straight. He took a deep breath. He decided now was not the time, and that he would have to discover what it was later. He entered his dorm, and began preparing for his friends to arrive.

* * *

**A/N: Ah. We meet again. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Let me know what you think in the reviews.**

**Okay. First off, thank you for your patience. I have some good chapters in the hopper, and you may notice they are getting longer. But here is where my issue lies: I start classes today. So, maybe in mid semester, or maybeeven sooner, I may have to take another break. I will make sure to let you know with plenty of time. This ensures the quality of the story and leaves me no room to get sloppy. I hope you guys understand.**

**Also, to those who have reviewed, THANK YOU! I will reply to my most recent reviews by the end of this week. I promise.**

**Speaking of reviews, please feel free to express your thoughts on this story. I pretty much just dreamed this up and put it on paper. I appreciate any notes and ideas you guys give me. I love it when you guys voice your opinions! Like I said before, this is my first fan-fic ever in my entire life. I'm still learning how to even frikn' write a story in the first place!**

**And I shall now end my rant. As always, if you have questions, comments, concerns, compliments about my figure, or money you wish to give me (gratuities are accepted!), please feel free to leave me a review! I love you guys till the end of time!**

**Kind regards,**

**Just another fan**

**P.S.: Batteries not included**


	14. Chapter 13: Unexpected

_Chapter 13: Unexpected_

"I wish _I _was a Lone Wanderer! You get a whoooole room to yourself!"

Yang jumped into Ken's bed the moment she entered the door. She snatched the pillow and squeezed it. "And there's only one bed! There's so much space on the walls for posters of cats!"

Blake rolled her eyes as she sat on the floor against the bed. "Why not have actual cats?"

"Ummm, because I already got one!" Blake showed her partner no mercy as she attacked her with two powerful fingers. "OW! Hey! You set yourself up for that one!"

"Or maybe I set you up?" Yang gasped at the sudden conspiracy her partner had set. She smacked her with the pillow as Blake simply snickered.

"Oh, quit it you two!" Weiss sat down in one of the rocking chairs in the corner. "We're here to study, not to play around!"

Ruby bounded into the room after her teammates and filled Ken's arms with glass soda bottles. "Look what I found!"

Ken almost lost his balance at the unsuspected load. "Whoa! You mean what you stole?"

"Nope!"

Ruby dove into the bed with her older sister. Yang immediately proceeded to attack her with her poofy weapon in an effort to defend her territory. Blake decided she wasn't safe when she was caught in the crossfire and moved to sit against the wall. Ken laughed as he set down the sodas onto his desk and handed one to her. As soon as the sisters finally settled a truce and decided to share the bed, team CRGE arrived with their books in hand.

Yang and Ruby immediately called for Gretchen, who happily waved back and joined them on the bed. Erwin smiled towards Weiss and politely asked if he could join her in the seat next to her. She looked surprised and a little red in the face at the suited teen's politeness, but agreed and gave him a slight smile. Regina and Canton sat next to Blake against the wall and Ken sat on the ground against his bed.

"Hey, Kenneth?" Canton sat with his legs crossed next to Regina, who had her legs spread out and was stretching slightly as she opened her bag. "Any chance you know anything about Professor Phoenix's Eternity Gem assignment and when it is due?"

"Oh! I know! We just finished it!" Ruby hopped off the bed and retrieved her own bag. Pulling out a red folder and pink notebook, she jumped back into the bed and began flipping through it. She pulled out a sheet of paper and traced her finger along it. "Looks like it's due iiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnn three weeks!"

Team CRGE and Ken stared at Ruby in shock. Erwin scratched his head. "Really? And you already completed it?"

Weiss smirked and crossed her arms. "Just because you have three weeks to do an assignment doesn't mean you should take that long to start doing it." Yang, Ruby, and Blake rolled their eyes at this while she shot Ken an accusing look.

"Hey! Don't give me that!"

"Oh. Impressive!" Canton stopped for a moment and looked at team RWBY. "You know, I don't think we have properly met. My name is Canton Brosnan and these are my teammates, Regina, Erwin, and Gretchen."

Ruby smiled and goofily waved at Gretchen as if meeting her for the first time. "Hi! I'm Ruby! These are my teammates Blake and Weiss, and my annoying older sister Yang."

Yang replied with a pillow to her sister's face. "What she _means_ is that I'm the most awesome sister to ever exist!"

Weiss was now leaning towards the front of her chair. "Hey, Canton? Did you know someone named Luis?"

Canton looked over at the white-clad girl. A smile formed on his face. "Yes. Luis is my brother. You are the Ice Queen, correct?"

"Why do people keep calling me that?!"

"Take a wild guess!" Yang received a cold glare from the heiress. "Case and point!" She gave her an exaggerated wink.

Canton laughed. "Weiss Schnee. I remember him speaking about you. You're a quick learner I understand. He has nothing but praise for you."

The heiress relaxed. She gave him a sincere smile.

"So how come you're attending Beacon? I thought Shadow Dancers only sent out their warriors once every so many years?"

"You'd be correct. Shadow Dancers only send out their members to civilization if it means to maintain peace with the kingdom or when it is viewed as necessary by the elders. We were an exception. Regina and I grew up and trained together. When the elders saw the potential in us, they made arrangements with the government and Professor Ozpin to have us sent to Beacon so we can hone our skills and become stronger warriors.

"It is also so my people can become aware of what the civilized warriors learn and bring back knowledge that can help my tribe thrive. We were trained and tested for this task and we are finally here."

"That's fascinating," said Blake, "But what about your background? You either have to have graduated from combat school or pass a few tests in order to be accepted."

"We were taught and trained the curriculum of the local combat schools while growing up. But because of the language barrier, it took some extra time for us to learn English. It was not difficult, but it proved to slow our training as a whole by about a few months. That is why we are a semester late.

"Then, our own combat style is derived from that of the tribe's. Pooling together their resources, the elders forged our weapons by hand so that we may properly be ready for the culture of Hunters and Huntresses. All we had to do was pass the tests and go through the initiation ceremony."

"Okay, now I have to ask." Ken leaned forward and gestured towards Regina's feet. "What exactly do your weapons do?"

Regina exchanged a look with Canton and smiled.

"Her weapon directly ties into her Semblance. She has the ability to amplify and focus sound waves. The heels of her boots are designed to combine her Aura and sound."

Throughout Canton's explanation, Ruby could barely contain her excitement. Her eyes went wide and were brighter than the lights in the room as she stared pleadingly towards Regina. Regina looked at her curiously. Canton let out an amused chuckle.

"Sorry, Ruby. We left our weapons behind."

"Ahhh." Ruby bowed her head in disappointment.

Weiss had also been watching Regina interact with her partner since they got here. Regina felt her stare and locked eyes with her. The heiress kept the contact for a second, but ripped her gaze away quickly. This was more than enough information for the young tribal, however. She tapped Canton on the knee and pointed to her throat. Canton hesitated. The room was quiet for a moment while he signed towards her, a questioning look on his face. She smiled warmly and nodded, turning to look back at a confused looking Weiss. Canton looked over and nodded.

"I'm sure you're wondering why we communicate the way we do?"

"Huh?" Weiss tried to look innocent as a slight pink color brightened her face. She crossed her arms in an effort to hide. "I-I don't know what you mean."

"It's alright. Regina wants all of you to know."

Everyone in the room was now waiting patiently for Canton to continue. He took a deep breath and laced his fingers with Regina's

"The Shadow Dancers have always taken pride in their warriors and traditions. Every one of them always starts young, around six years of age or so. We were no different. However, we were selected by the Chieftain himself and were taken under his wing. He said it was because he saw something special inside us. He had watched while we instantly became great friends on the day we met and he knew we were destined to fight together. Traditionally, members of our tribe work in groups of four or more, mostly for having a much more stable rhythm for songs, but the Chieftain trained us to only need to depend on each other. We grew up sparring, practicing, meditating, and playing together. Naturally, we formed an unbreakable bond.

"It wasn't until we began to discover our Semblances when our bodies began to change. Around sixteen, my Aura had finally awoken, but it was harsh and unforgiving. My vision became impaired and the color of my irises changed. For a few days, I couldn't see anything. Regina had the worst of it, however. She, too, lost her vision for some time, but simultaneously also lost the ability to speak. Our sight recovered after sometime and curiously, our eye color are now the same. We successfully harnessed our Semblances, but Regina was never able to speak again. A cruel irony, really, considering her power."

"That's horrible." Ruby looked like she was on the verge of tears. Regina gave her a reassuring smile.

"Side effects of a Semblance aren't uncommon, but why was it so drastic for you?" asked Blake.

"The Shadow Dancers had secluded themselves from civilization for many generations. My people never really researched Aura or Semblances and as a result, the average member has a significantly less amount of Aura than the modern Hunter. This is why we have squads with large numbers. Our own training was focused on increasing our Aura reserves to compensate for the lack of companions, but our bodies were not designed to hold as much Aura as we have now and took a large amount of trauma. We still don't have as much Aura as you do and we can use it up quickly, but by working together, we have nothing to worry about, especially now that we have Erwin and Gretchen."

"Wow. That's…amazing!" Ruby smiled widely towards the tribals. "You guys are so cute!"

Regina blushed while Canton returned the red head's smile. The Hunters-in-training chatted for a while longer. Erwin revealed his own past and motives for coming to Beacon, which seemed to catch Weiss off guard. She was shocked to discover that the silver-coated teen was also an heir and that they had known each other before, but became comfortable with him after a while. Finally, the students pulled out their books and began to collaborate.

Ken was glad his friends were being super helpful. Team CRGE was in the same boat as he was with each member having a different class they were struggling in. Erwin was an expert in Grimm Studies and was even more knowledgeable with the anatomy of the monsters; however he had trouble with Technologies and was grateful that Ken was actually doing very well in that class. Gretchen gladly worked with her old colleagues Yang and Ruby mostly on History, and Canton and Regina simply exchanged study techniques with Blake. Ken smiled when he saw Weiss and Erwin sitting next to each other on the rocking chairs and getting along really well, though he was a bit confused at the vocabulary they preferred.

Ken was leaning against his bed on the floor as he flipped through his notebook. He grumbled when he saw he had written down the date to an exam. It was a week away and when Ken looked through the syllabus and discovered it would be cumulative to the first section, he frantically began flipping to find the chapter in the textbook. Erwin looked over from his conversation with Weiss at the sound of furious pages.

"What is it?"

"Apparently we have an exam next week and I probably wasn't even alive when the some of the stuff on it was covered!"

Yang gave Ken a confused look. "What do you mean? You're weird!"

Ken scratched his head at the confusing paragraphs. "It's nothing. Any idea what we'll be tested on?"

"I got a copy of the first exam from a fellow classmate." Erwin pulled out the packet from his folder. "I am positive Professor Port will only re-ask the more important ones on top of the most recent section."

"Perfect."

Erwin flipped through the test and referred to his own textbook. "It looks like he asked an essay question. No doubt this one will return next week."

Ken was listening intently. He cracked open a soda bottle and instinctively placed the bottle cap in his pocket. "What does it say?"

"It reads 'Where do the Grimm generally tend to nest and focus on Remnant? Provide three examples of such'." Erwin looked through his notes. "This one is simple. The Grimm tend to nest in areas that are secluded from human civilization and the closest ones have been discovered approximately fifty miles from towns along the borders of every kingdom. Also, Grimm have been known to collect in certain areas where fresh Dust is being naturally processed in wide caverns. The radiation emitted by the mysterious resource is known to be a preferred snack for the creatures, although-"

Ken choked on the soda he was drinking and spat it out, nearly covering the three unsuspecting students across from him. Blake was sprinkled by the sugary liquid, but jumped away before being caught by the worst damage. "Hey! Watch it!"

The Lone Wanderer thumped his chest in an effort to clear his pipes. Yang hopped over from her spot on the bed and gave him a good smack on the back.

"What the hell, Kenny?" Yang gave him another punishing smack, causing him to nearly lose his air. "Where are your manners?!"

"Gah!" Ken nearly passed out from the hard hits from the blonde brawler and raised his hands apologetically towards Blake. "Sorry, sorry. Silver, what did you say?"

The entire room was looking at Ken confused and now they had turned their attention to the spectacled teen. He looked confused himself.

"Uh. What do you mean?"

Ken got up and handed Blake a towel. She annoyingly took it from him and began wiping her face.

"You said radiation! What about it?!"

Erwin looked back at the paragraph in his notes. "The notes I copied down say that the Grimm are attracted to radiation and they eat it as a snack. It is not at all nutritional to them. Instead, it is more characterized as a drug. That is why corporations like the Schnee Dust Company contract Hunters and Huntresses to escort their recon teams when they are scouting out caves to begin a new mine in the future."

Ken sat back down and smacked himself in the forehead. He turned to Ruby who was busy sipping her own soda through a straw.

"Ruby! That explains why the Grimm were chasing us the day I entered Remnant!"

"Oh yeah!" Ruby's excited expression was replaced with one of confusion. "Um, it does?"

"Yeah! The Grimm probably sensed my levels of radiation. That's probably why they were trying to catch me and not any of you."

Yang had moved back to her spot on the bed and was now dumbfounded by the explanation. "Uh, what levels of radiation?"

Radiation was something that was common in the wasteland. Naturally, Kens body had adapted to it, albeit a bit painfully. Not to mention Moira Brown's little…experiment on him. However, in the long run Ken had the benefit of being unaffected by radiation to a certain point, so he never really got rid of all of his radiation in an effort so conserve his supplies. Besides, it had actually worked in his favor a few times in the past. Ken switched on his stats screen on his Pip-Boy. "Since my time in the wasteland, I have accumulated about twenty five percent of radiation."

When he looked up, he noticed that everyone had begun inching away from him like he was infected with a plague. He rolled his eyes at the silly motion.

"Don't worry, weaklings. It's not contagious at all."

"Oh." Yang happily hopped back onto the bed as the others let out a sigh of relief. "Well, don't turn into a mutant or something. That would be super creepy."

Ken's look turned dark. Mutations. They had no idea. He shook the gloomy look away before anyone noticed. Blake caught the look, however. The Faunus studied his gaze for a moment. She could tell he was hiding something. Yang also caught the non-subtle gesture and was about to question it before Weiss interrupted her.

"Wait a minute. If you really do have enough radiation to attract a multitude of Grimm onto your tail, then how come none of that happened during your initiation?"

"Oh yeah." Ken remembered his time in the Emerald Forest. He had come to that same realization midway through their first attempt to get to the cliffs. "I don't know. We encountered a whole lot of Specters, but barely any Ursi or Beowolves. Maybe we were specifically in Specter territory?"

"I'm not sure." Canton had pulled out his own notebook and was studying its contents. "We encountered a handful of other Grimm species as well, but they are not necessarily territorial. In fact, Grimm usually don't encounter each other unless they have the same prey."

"Correct. The Grimm normally avoid each other and by no means do they have set territories." Erwin added. "However, when a pocket of radiation is involved, each species of Grimm try and conquer the source over each other, sometimes causing entire battles with themselves in order to devour it. That is the only characteristic they share that _could_ be defined as territorial."

Gretchen listened quietly at her partner's words. She chirped up as soon as he was done. "But that doesn't explain why they didn't attack Ken in the Emerald Forest. As hard as the situation was in the long run, we only faced a normal circumstance as opposed to an entire army of different Grimm."

Regina quickly tapped Canton's leg to get his attention. She flashed a few eager signs to him to which he also replied with a few of his own. Canton continued watching Regina as she finished her sentence and translated.

"Regina is suggesting that it is possible that Ken's Aura helps cover his radiation levels from being detectable. Since it is now active, the natural barrier is somewhat physical enough to stop it from showing." He turned to Ken. "She is also theorizing that as your Aura depletes, the more likely your radiation becomes strong enough to attract the enemy."

"Ohhhh! That actually makes sense!" Yang piped up in an effort to sound like she was following along. She was completely ignored.

"So if my Aura stops my radiation from being sniffed out by the uglies, then how come they aren't attracted to Dust? Didn't you say it emits radiation?"

"Only when it's becoming crystalized," said Weiss, "Once the process is complete and the crystals have been fully formed, radiation is no longer produced."

"Hmm. I feel ready for that test now. Think he'll have extra credit?"

His friends laughed in amusement. Ken took a second to think about what he just learned. Everything his friends just explained made sense. But it seems the more answers he gets, the more questions pop up. The term _Project_ _Haven_ was bothering him now and his Pip-Boy had warned him of another anomaly. What was going on?

Blake broke the silence. "Ken? Everything okay?"

Ken gave her a sheepish smile in response. "Yeah, I'm good. A lot to take in, you know?"

Gretchen slipped off of the bed and sat next to Ken. "Hey, Kenny? Can I ask you something?"

Ken looked at the fox Faunus curiously. He noticed she looked concerned, almost as if she was afraid of the answer she might get.

"Yeah. Shoot."

"Why aren't you trying to get back? Don't you miss home?"

Ken's dorm became quiet. The same question had occurred to everyone else, but they didn't ask simply because they figured Ken had enough on his mind. But now that Gretchen finally did, everyone was waiting patiently for Ken to answer. Ruby, in her kind hearted nature, tried to intervene.

"Kenny probably just likes it here. I mean, we do have cookies after all!"

Ken laughed at the small girl's effort to help him. "Well, I can't say that's not true. In all honesty, I'm not even sure I can go back. Even if I could, there isn't much waiting for me back there."

"What about your family? They probably miss you."

Ken looked down to the device on his wrist. It brightly was showing him his status.

"I don't have any family. Not anymore."

"But what about mom and dad?" Gretchen replied. Ken's expression suddenly saddened. His eyes began to water, and Gretchen immediately felt terrible.

"I lost both of my parents and I was banished from my home." Ken looked back at the Faunus next to him. He could tell she regretted her question. "The wasteland became my home after that. It was…brutal. I miss my companions and I miss the few kind people that I encountered, but after experiencing Remnant and everything it has to offer…I just feel as though I need to help protect it. I don't want this world to be destroyed by the evils the people on Earth were devoured by. God forbid that ever happens here."

Ruby sat next to Ken and placed her arm around his shoulder. "Kenny. I'm sure your friends are okay. After meeting you, we all feel much stronger now. I have no doubt the people back home miss you too."

Ken patted the hand as he turned to his smaller friend. "Thanks, Ruby."

"You have us too, Kenneth." Canton raised his thumb as Regina did the same with huge smiles on their faces. "We have all battled with you side by side. I believe I speak for all of us when I say we see you as part of our family."

Blake smiled and nodded at the tribal's words. Everyone else did the same in agreement. Weiss was also happily grinning towards the Lone Wanderer, something he thought he could never accomplish. Ken was moved by the way his friends were comforting him and at that very moment, he knew he found his new home. This place was where he wanted to be.

* * *

"Of the many discoveries our world has seen within the past few decades, none of them compare to the wondrous innovation of the transistor. In fact, most of your technology in your pocket and everyday lives wouldn't even be possible without such a simple little device. Discovered by Dr. John Row, a colleague of Dr. James Tucchi who created the Tucchi counter, the transistor allows for the miniaturization of internal components of any technology. Now, imagine if your scrolls had a vacuum tube inside instead of its current internals. Well, let's just say you would be known as the hunters that fought with television sets strapped to your backs."

The class rumbled with a light laugh. Ken scribbled across his notebook, memorizing every word and gesture with passionate ease. It was fascinating what he was learning in this class. So many ideas and techniques! And some so simple! Along with the fascinating material of the class, Professor Grant did an excellent job of keeping his students involved. It was the perfect class. You had to _try _to fail it.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Students quickly began to slip their utensils and notebooks into their bags.

"Out of time? I was just getting started." Professor Grant let out a hearty chuckle. "Ladies and gentlemen. I want a brief summarization of today's lecture by our next session. At least one page."

The class groaned as they filed out of their rows. "Now, now! I could be assigning you much more. And yes, it _will_ be graded. I'm looking at you, Mr. Lue!"

The singled out student quickly made a dash for the door, leaving behind a trail of laughter and humiliation from his classmates.

"Have a great weekend, everyone!"

Ken was the last person out of the room. He usually was to speak to the professor about a few things regarding his grades, or to ask him of any development on _Project Haven_. Recently, however, he had finally raised his grade in this particular class to an A and is caught up, and the most recent news was given to him only yesterday. It had become a habit to come up to the old man after each lecture, and he always enjoyed the conversations they would have.

"I enjoyed your lecture today, sir." he said as he approached the wooden desk. "I'm surprised how simple some of the stuff we've learned is."

Professor Grant smiled at Ken as he rustled some papers on his desk. "Ah, yes. Fascinating, isn't it? Such simple things can make a much grander difference."

"I wonder why the Old World never discovered any of this?" Ken pondered.

"Hmm. Perhaps your ancestors were more focused on other things?"

"The Resource War?"

"Think bigger." Professor Grant wiped his glasses. "Mankind is greedy. And when greed grows to a great size, it begins to simply devour everything with no regard for progress."

Ken nodded. It made sense.

"Ah! I almost forgot! Curse my old age!" Grant beckoned for Ken to follow him towards his office. "Come, I have something to show you."

Ken followed the professor into his roomy office, who disappeared through a storage closet to the left. He was astonished at how few decorations adorned the place. A simple red wooden desk was nestled into a corner to the right, possibly made from the trees of the Forever Fall forest. On top of it sat several text books of various titles, all pertaining to technology and quantum physics. Along the walls hung a few frames with different documents and photos, many of which were slightly yellowed from time. But there was one photo that caught his attention. On top of the desk, resting next to an old clock, was a small square picture. Curious, Ken picked it up and studied the old black and white film. A younger beardless Grant smiled back at him, his hair much darker but still looked exactly the same. He was happily holding a smaller lady whose head barely reached the tall man's chest. Her face was covered in wrinkles and black spots, but they all seemed obsolete with the bright smile that illuminated through the glass. Ken unconsciously smiled back.

"Ah. It seemed you have discovered my most valuable treasure." Grant reappeared from the closet behind Ken. Ken felt guilty at the man's description of the picture, as he had just grabbed it without asking. But curiosity bested him.

"Who is she?"

Grant took the frame in his hand. He looked at it affectionately before setting it back on the desk.

"My mother. She passed away when I was fifteen."

Ken's breathing hitched. He fought back the tears behind his eyes. Him too? "I'm sorry."

Grant smiled. "No matter. That was a long time ago. And I like to think she would have been proud of me."

Ken nodded. Grant pointed towards something behind him. "This is what I wanted to show you. Does it look familiar?"

Ken's eyes widened when he saw it. Of course it was familiar! But how did he get one of these?

"An eyebot! But how? Has the portal been opened again?"

"Not quite. This 'eyebot', as you called it, was discovered a few years ago in the Kingdom of Atlas. They handed it over to me when they discovered your situation in hopes that I can better understand it. They had little success with it, and so have I. However I was able to power it back on."

"Is it functional?" asked Ken. He opened the service panel and peeked inside.

"Not anymore. It carried a message from the USA"

Ken shot up at the words. "USA? The old government? How did they get this thing here?"

"Also unknown. But it was their attempt to contact us. I don't know much else."

Ken held his chin in thought. It made sense that the Old World would try to make contact with Remnant. But whatever their motive was, it couldn't be anything good. Ken looked over at the professor.

"What were you going to do with it?"

"Well, I was going to simply scrap it and try to learn what makes it tick, but I wanted to show it to you first before I did. I figured maybe you knew better what to do with it."

Ken began looking through his items in his Pip-Boy. Maybe he could get it to work…

Pulling out a screw driver and a knife, Ken began to play with the guts of the machine. He looked up and smiled at the professor.

"I can fix this thing. I have a spare fission battery I could use as a makeshift power source. These wires also need replacing. You really made a mess in here." Ken hesitated. "Sir."

Grant chuckled. "It seems you know what you're dealing with. Have you any use for it?"

Ken pulled out the items he needed along with some scrap metal from his inventory. "Not really. But if I can fix this thing and try to back log it, I might be able to find out how it got here. Damn!" He carefully pulled out a small hard drive. "This thing is toast. Though if I had another one, I could probably copy the data onto it and salvage some of it."

"That looks a lot like a solid state drive. One moment." Grant went back to his storage room. He returned holding a metal box exactly the same size as the damaged one. "This may work. Downloading that data won't be an issue, but there is one problem."

Ken arched an eyebrow. "Let me guess. You need an operating system for that."

"Exactly. More specifically, an AI. It's the only way we can access the data after transfer. Unfortunately, I don't have any of those just lying around."

Ken scratched his head in frustration. But then an idea popped into his head.

"I know! When I was raiding a local factory, I had downloaded the personality of a robot. I don't know the specs, but maybe that will do it?"

Grant beamed. "Well, let's give it a try."

The two minds went to work on their project. The process of putting the hardware together wasn't much of a challenge, but an external test boot was out of the question due to the internals of the eyebot being so compact. If anything went wrong, they would have to start the process over again.

A half an hour later, everything was inside and ready to go. Ken shook off some rust from his tools before storing them. He exchanged a nervous glance with his professor.

"Ready?"

Grant smiled. "Fire it up."

Ken reached inside and activated a switch with a _click_ and stepped back. For a moment, the round robot silently hummed and beeped, making no movements. Then its engines fired up and it popped off of the desk. It suddenly zipped up into the ceiling with a loud _smack!_ The two humans stepped back in surprise by the sudden jerk. The bot slowly sunk down and hovered at eye level.

"Um. Well, it's working. Sort of." Ken touched the grill with his finger and gave it a slight push. The eyebot floated away in response, but slowly hovered back to its original position.

"Hmm. Perhaps it's voice activated?" asked Grant.

Ken nodded. "Computer." No response. _'Maybe something else is the trigger word.'_

"Eyebot." Silence. "Hmm. Robot." Again, the eyebot simply stared back. Frustrated, Ken scratched the back of his head.

"Damn it! Answer me, you rusting slagheap!"

"_Who the HELL are you calling a slagheap?!"_

The loud mechanical voice startled Ken, nearly making him trip over a pile of folders. Grant grabbed hold of him. The eyebot hovered a little higher and bobbed up and down like it were in water.

"And now we know the AI worked. Fascinating."

The eybot slowly hovered, trying to move around. "_Ugh! It's so damn crammed in here! Where are my arms? And my eyes? And why can't I move?!"_

The Lone Wanderer grumbled as he regained his balance. "Slagheap! Run a system diagnostic."

"_Fuck you!"_ The robot zoomed towards Ken. Its grill was merely centimeters from his nose. "_I don't take orders from you communist scum!"_

Ken sighed. He recognized the voice as a Mister Gutsy. They were robots before the war that were used during battle. Now the old hunks of rusting bolts roamed the wastes hurling insults and plasma at unsuspecting travelers. Except this one was a little more…free spirited. If you could call a robot that.

"How about I ask nicely, then? Besides, I am your superior officer." Ken said coolly. He straightened his back. "Initiate protocol 5-7-9. Reset systems."

_"Nonesense!" _replied the tiny machine,_ "Valid rank chip not detected! You have ten seconds to either explain yourself or release me before I blow you to bits! 10!"_

"Interesting." Ken rubbed his chin. "I've never encountered a robot that resisted a command code."

_"9!"_

"What do you think we should do?" asked Professor Grant.

"_8!"_

"Let it run its course. If it's as smart as it sounds, it should eventually try to bargain with us."

"_7!"_

"It's quite determined. Perhaps it doesn't even hear us?"

"_6_!"

"Even if it doesn't, it'll notice at some point that we are the only people that can help it."

_"5!"_

"Very well, then."

_"I have heard enough!"_ The machine trembled violently, imitating anger. _"These communist lies will not work on me! Prepare to meet your doom…AHEAD OF SCHEDULE!"_

_Click. _

_ "What?"_

_ Click._

_ "This…has never happened before, I swear. It always works…"_

_ Click. Click. Click._

Utterly confused, the eyebot sunk a little lower in the air. _"Wait a minute. Weapons…offline?! You!" _ It came close to Ken's face again. _"What have you done?!"_

"I deactivated your weapons systems, along with your targeting operations and limited your movement controls." Ken grinned. "We just wanted to pull some information that is sitting pretty in your hard drive."

"_Bah! You sabotaged me! Well, I'll have you know that we Americans do NOT negotiate with terrorists!"_

"Well, you're in luck. I am not a terrorist. Or a communist."

"_Lies!"_

"Tell you what. Prove me wrong. Every Chinese soldier and operative had a chip implanted inside of their bodies. Should any of them be captured, it would be activated, and the device would fry their brains to a crisp. Run a few scans. See if you can find one."

Grant shook his head in amusement. He read about those chips in a few files Ken gave him, but they were only implanted in certain individuals. He was tricking the little bastard.

_"Fine! Running diagnostic scans!"_ A moment passed with a few _beeps_. _"Hmm. All results are negative. But I still don't trust you! You reek of indecency and bullshit!"_

"Charming."

"Don't you think I would've just scrapped you and forced you to tell me your secrets if I was a communist?" reasoned Ken. "I'm willing to make you deal, slagheap. "

"_The name is Lavernius! Sergeant Lavernius! Use it, scar face!"_

"Sergeant Lavernius. If you give me what I'm looking for, I will restore your systems to nominal settings. All of them."

Lavernius hovered silently a moment, considering the offer. _"I see. So after I give you your dirty plans to destroy democracy, you give me my weapons to shoot you in your commie face. Sounds like a good deal to me!"_

"I haven't gotten into details yet. In your files you will find a program I uploaded called Selective Targeting, which is usually used for combat inhibitors. Use it to mark me and anyone I say as friendly. If you don't, I also rigged your fission battery to explode. Try to kill me, and I'll just light the fireworks."

_"Clever. So that's what the little red wire is for. You're smart. For a dirty commie. I'm listening."_

"The files on that drive that are not encrypted by me are the ones I need you to transfer to my Pip-Boy. Once you upload those, and initiate the protocol I mentioned, I will restore your weapons and movement ability. Do we have a deal?"

"_Ugh. Fine! Deal!" _The eyebot hovered slowly towards Ken. _"But don't think I won't forget this. I'll be coming for you!" _

Ken held out his Pip-Boy and connected a hard wire to the panel of the machine. A bit crude, in Ken's opinion, but it was really the only way that ensured the data wouldn't get damaged during transfer. After the machine loudly declared its end of the deal, it clumsily swerved in front of the two humans.

"_There! Though I couldn't help but notice that those files had something to do with the invasion of Beijing. I guess you weren't lying. But you're still an asshole!"_

Ken chuckled. "I guess so."

_"Where am I, anyway?"_ The eyebot seemed a bit more calm.

"That's…a long story", said Ken, "But once we finish up here I can explain it to you. You're much more intelligent than I was anticipating."

"_I'll take that as a compliment!"_ Lavernius sighed. _"Very well. Selective Target Protocol initiated. Asshole."_

Professor Grant began to access the files once Ken had uploaded them to his scroll. Ken reactivated all of Lavernius' systems as promised. To his surprise, the eyebot was much less aggressive once it had discovered the lack of communism in the room. In fact, it even promised to help the Lone Wanderer as long as he was given the chance to 'fry the shit out of some commie bastards'.

"Interesting," muttered Grant, "This little device was sent on its mission in 2076. That I know. But there is no explanation as to how it got here."

"Maybe he was sent through the portal? I don't see how else they could have sent it."

"No. The electronic signature the machine emitted was recorded in a manifest. There was only the single activation."

"That doesn't make sense. How else could he have gotten here?"

_"I walked! Hahaha!"_

"You're not helping,"

_"I know. I'm just trying to-"_ Lavernius suddenly stopped. A loud series of _beeps_ began to emit from the eybot's speakers. _"Alert! Alert! My sensors are picking up strange frequencies!"_

Grant and Ken stared at the machine. "Explain."

_"I don't know what it is. But I am sending the coordinates to your monitor now!"_

Grant quickly looked at the screen. He gasped.

"What is it?" asked Ken.

"The Forever Fall forest." Grant looked at Ken in concern. "The exact coordinates where you entered Remnant."

Ken opened his mouth to respond, but his Pip-Boy interrupted him. It was the same sound and message from the previous night.

WARNING! ANOMALY DETECTED! PLEASE CONTACT [ERROR] FOR IMMEDIATE DIAGNOSTICS!

"Oh no."

"What?" asked Grant.

"I received this message last night, too."

Grant shot up from his seat. "We need to contact Ozpin. Now."

* * *

_The Forbidden Sand Dunes, on the outskirts of Vacuo_

Theos wrapped his head in his scarf. It was midday out here in the dunes. That meant the wind was as powerful as it would get throughout the day. It mercilessly whipped sand and dust at the man's face, threatening to rip off his cover. Specs of fine earth invaded his eyeballs every second, but he simply blinked them out as if they were nothing more than tears. He sighed. The atmosphere here didn't bother him at all. In fact, he found the conditions of this place perfect. Ever since he risked activating the portal yesterday, he knew that the conditions of the 'Forbidden Sand Dunes', as the locals called it, would be a perfect stabilization point for his portal. It also helped hide him from view, which was something he cherished. From a distance, the heat waves would simply distort his figure and trick the naked eye into thinking he was just part of the sand.

It was Autumn that bothered him. He reluctantly agreed to allow Theos into entering the portal first. That was of course after having a temper tantrum and breaking every piece of valuable glass in the lab. Theos had explained that he needed to make sure they were in a secluded place and to figure out a way to make the gateway undetectable. Now, he would enter at any moment, and he would be met with a powerful gust to the face. Theos knew he wouldn't hear the end of this one. Maybe he'll get a mouthful of sand. That'll at least keep him quiet until they get to the bunker.

A loud growl emitted from the left, grabbing the scientist's attention. He silently observed a lone Ursa sniffing around just a few feet away. It hadn't sensed the dark man at all, which was strange. At this distance, any Grimm could immediately pick up the scent of its mortal enemy. Theos continued watching as it hungrily searched the sand.

"What are you looking for?" whispered Theos, "What do you hunt?"

The howling wind almost drowned out a low _beep_ coming from the man's wrist. It was time. He swiped the screen with his index finger. The portal was about to open, so he swiftly activated a beacon that was sent to an orbiting satellite.

The decoy worked. _'Excellent.'_

At that moment, a soft _hum_ began to come from somewhere in the wind. In front of the scientist, a golden orb appeared from thin air. It grew slowly and touched the ground. Theos noticed the lack of radiation. That was a good sign.

Three figures stepped through the large gap and into the sand. As soon as they were through, the opening vanished. A gust of wind picked up and smacked the man in the center, snapping his head back and burying him in the sand. Theos chuckled. Definitely worth the trouble.

"Gah! What is this?!" The other two armored men helped him to his feet. He snatched one of their helmets and ripped it off, placing it on top of his own head. Lieutenant Maker was shocked by the high winds, but did not dare retaliate. "Where in God's name am I?!"

"Welcome to the Forbidden Sand Dunes." Theos came up and handed Maker a second scarf reserved for the president. He gratefully put it on. "One of the handful of places on this planet that is uninhabited by a society. The perfect hide out."

"I thought this planet was alive!" Autumn adjusted the helmet on his head. "This place is more dead than the wasteland we just left!"

"Oh no, Augustus. Remnant is very much alive. Never judge a book by its cover."

The president growled impatiently from inside his helmet. "Well? What's our situation?"

"Green. The energy emitted from this portal is strong enough to register as an anomaly on any local sensors. I rigged an orbiting satellite to send the incorrect coordinates to any receivers."

"Send them on a wild goose chase. Good. What about after you stabilize the portal?"

"We will not have to worry anymore. The frequencies will be weak enough to be blocked by the storms here."

"Marvelous. How much Intel do we have?"

"Plenty. It is all stored at a local bunker east of here, perfect for our needs. It was abandoned after a war ravaged this place years ago."

"A war? What kind of war?"

Theos simply smiled behind his mask. The Ursa had finally spotted them. It loudly snarled at its prey, startling the three newcomers. Maker jumped high in the air and landed in his comrade's arms.

"AH! W-w-what i-is t-that?!"

Autumn stepped back in surprise. "What is that…thing?!"

The Ursa charged. It snapped its gigantic mandibles as it came closer at a blinding fast speed. Autumn stumbled back and fell into the sand. He screamed.

The Ursa suddenly went limp. It crashed into the fine earth, inches away from a still shivering President Autumn. When he regained his senses, he saw a thin cable was poking out of the thick fur. It was connected to a device in Theos' hand, one he fiddled with curiously.

"Ah. Excellent. It works."

Autumn jumped to his feet, steering clear from the still breathing creature. "W-what is going on, Theos?! Explain! Now!"

"Meet the Ursa. A member of the creatures of Grimm." He plucked out the thick needle from the creature. "A curious creature. They have been trying to kill the people here for as long as they have existed."

Autumn looked down at the Ursa. It looked very calm.

"What did you do to it?"

"I gave it a dose of radiation. It is drugged." Theos pulled out a metal piton from his lab coat. Without hesitation, he jabbed the sharp end into the base of the creature's neck. It didn't make a sound. Instead, it slowly rose to its limbs, shaking its large head. Autumn and his terrified guards backed away. But the Ursa did not make another attempt to attack them.

"There are different kinds of Grimm. But that is not important. What is, is that my invention works."

"Invention?" Autumn watched as the Ursa stood dead still, making him uneasy. "I never authorized you to make any invention."

"That is correct. You did not." Theos looked at Autumn. "Come. We have much work to do." He began walking into the storm. The Ursa stared at Autumn for a second, then began trailing behind its new master. Autumn shuddered. This was going to be a long mission.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! Hope you liked this one. Leave me a review letting me know what you think.**

**So I have some bad news. There will be no update next week. I'm so so so sorry :( What's worse is that this time, I don;t know When Ill be back. This semester is proving quite difficult for me, and I need to make sure I don;t fall behind. Plus, the crap I have written right now...ugh, I can;t stand to look at some of it. SO I need to try and make it better. IT will take some time, but I'm not going anywhere. I'll be back with more to finish this story! **

**I promise I'll make this up to you, one way or another. Make sre you have favorites and followed this story so you know when I update next. Just an FYI, it may not be a Wednesday, mostly because as soon as I'm ready, I'll be jumping right back in. I'll eventually fall back to my Wed releases though.**

**Thanks for your patience! You guys rock! And I love you! I hope you don't hate me, and I will see you lovely people soon!**

**Kind regards,**

**Just another fan.**


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